url,title,date,year,month,party,chamber,state,member_name,bioguide_id,domain,scraper,source,date_source,text,has_text,collected_at,updated_at https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-republican-tax-plan,Sanders Statement on Republican Tax Plan,2017-12-27,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Republican Tax Plan Wednesday, December 27, 2017 BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 27 U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Wednesday regarding the Republican tax plan: ""The Republicans are so desperate to spin their disastrous tax plan that they have resorted to taking comments I recently made completely out of context. Let me set the record straight. ""The Trump-Republican tax plan is one of the worst pieces of legislation in the modern history of our country. At a time of massive income and wealth inequality, 83 percent of the tax benefits in that bill go to the top 1 percent at the end of 10 years and 60 percent of the benefits go to the top one-tenth of 1 percent. On the other hand, by the end of the decade, 92 million middle-class Americans will actually be paying more in taxes, including 8 million in the first year alone. Further, this legislation will result in 13 million people losing their health insurance while substantially raising premiums all across the country. It also raises the deficit by $1.4 trillion, laying the groundwork for House Speaker Paul Ryan and other Republicans to call for cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other important programs in the name of 'deficit reduction.' ""Instead of this grossly obscene piece of legislation, let's pass tax reform that permanently benefits all middle-income and working-class families without giving tax breaks to the top 1 percent. Instead of providing huge tax breaks to the rich and large corporations that explode the deficit, which this bill does, millionaires, billionaires and large, profitable corporations must begin paying their fair share of taxes. Then, among other things, we can permanently double the standard deduction, expand the Earned Income Tax Credit, re-instate the personal exemptions and make the Child Tax Credit fully refundable without increasing the debt future generations will inherit.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-statement-on-republican-tax-plan,Sanders Statement on Republican Tax Plan,2017-12-27,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Republican Tax Plan Wednesday, December 27, 2017 BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 27 U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Wednesday regarding the Republican tax plan: ""The Republicans are so desperate to spin their disastrous tax plan that they have resorted to taking comments I recently made completely out of context. Let me set the record straight. ""The Trump-Republican tax plan is one of the worst pieces of legislation in the modern history of our country. At a time of massive income and wealth inequality, 83 percent of the tax benefits in that bill go to the top 1 percent at the end of 10 years and 60 percent of the benefits go to the top one-tenth of 1 percent. On the other hand, by the end of the decade, 92 million middle-class Americans will actually be paying more in taxes, including 8 million in the first year alone. Further, this legislation will result in 13 million people losing their health insurance while substantially raising premiums all across the country. It also raises the deficit by $1.4 trillion, laying the groundwork for House Speaker Paul Ryan and other Republicans to call for cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other important programs in the name of 'deficit reduction.' ""Instead of this grossly obscene piece of legislation, let's pass tax reform that permanently benefits all middle-income and working-class families without giving tax breaks to the top 1 percent. Instead of providing huge tax breaks to the rich and large corporations that explode the deficit, which this bill does, millionaires, billionaires and large, profitable corporations must begin paying their fair share of taxes. Then, among other things, we can permanently double the standard deduction, expand the Earned Income Tax Credit, re-instate the personal exemptions and make the Child Tax Credit fully refundable without increasing the debt future generations will inherit.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-votes-against-continuing-resolution,Sanders Votes Against Continuing Resolution,2017-12-21,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Votes Against Continuing Resolution Thursday, December 21, 2017 WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Thursday after voting against a temporary spending bill: ""I voted no on the continuing resolution because it is unconscionable for Congress to go home for the holidays while leaving major crises unresolved. There are 800,000 Dreamers in this country who are on the verge of losing their legal status and who could soon be subject to deportation if we do not act. For three months, the Childrens Health Insurance Program and the community health center program have not been reauthorized or fully funded. Millions of children and families are wondering whether they will be able to continue to receive health care. Over 1.5 million older workers and retirees will soon see the pensions they were promised cut by up to 60 percent if Congress does not do its job. ""It would simply be wrong to pass another continuing resolution. These problems must be addressed, and they must be addressed now.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-votes-against-continuing-resolution,Sanders Votes Against Continuing Resolution,2017-12-21,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Votes Against Continuing Resolution Thursday, December 21, 2017 WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Thursday after voting against a temporary spending bill: ""I voted no on the continuing resolution because it is unconscionable for Congress to go home for the holidays while leaving major crises unresolved. There are 800,000 Dreamers in this country who are on the verge of losing their legal status and who could soon be subject to deportation if we do not act. For three months, the Childrens Health Insurance Program and the community health center program have not been reauthorized or fully funded. Millions of children and families are wondering whether they will be able to continue to receive health care. Over 1.5 million older workers and retirees will soon see the pensions they were promised cut by up to 60 percent if Congress does not do its job. ""It would simply be wrong to pass another continuing resolution.These problems must be addressed, and they must be addressed now.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-demands-congress-protect-dreamers-fund-chcs-and-chip-before-going-home,"Sanders Demands Congress Protect Dreamers, Fund CHCs CHIP Before Going Home",2017-12-20,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Demands Congress Protect Dreamers, Fund CHCs & CHIP Before Going Home Wednesday, December 20, 2017 WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 In a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said it would be unacceptable for Congress to break for the holidays without protecting Dreamers, funding community health centers and the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and addressing a number of other issues critical to working families. It really would be unconscionable to leave Washington after giving tax breaks to billionaires and large corporations, while we ignore the enormous problems facing the middle class and working families of our country, Sanders said. In his speech, he outlined the priorities that must be addressed before the end of the year. DACA:Any end of the year spending agreement must address the fear and uncertainty unnecessarily caused by the administrations reckless actions, and a clean DREAM Act must be signed into law. This is not just what Bernie Sanders wants.A Quinnipiac poll came out the other day in which 77 percent of the American people supported maintaining legal status for these young people and allowing them to move forward towards citizenship. Community Health Centers:If we do not act soon, 70 percent of community health center funding will be cut, and 2,800 health centers will close their doors.Further, 51,000 jobs will be lost, and 9 million patients will lose access to their health care. That would be unacceptable. Community Health Centers must funded at the levels contained in the bipartisan legislation introduced earlier this year by Senators Blunt and Stabenow. Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP):If CHIP is not reauthorized,9 millionchildren in working families will lose their health insurance. These children are covered by CHIP because their families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford private health insurance. Anything short of a full CHIP reauthorization will cause unnecessary confusion and stress for working families and their children.And this re-authorization must not be offset by slashing the prevention fund or other unacceptable offsets. Multi-Employer Pensions:If Congress does not act soon, the earned pension benefits of more than 1.5 million workers and retirees in multi-employer pension plans could be cut by up to 60 percent. When a worker is promised a pension benefit after a lifetime of hard work that promise must be kept. Congress needs to act before the end of the year to make sure that no one in America in a multi-employer pension plan will see their pension cut. Social Security Administration:Since 2010, Congress has cut Social Securitys operating budget by 16 percent and Republicans want to cut it another 4 percent this year.According to a recentWashington Post article, 10,000 people died in the past year waiting for a decision on Social Security disability benefits. We need to increase funding for these vital services by at least $1.4 billion just to bring staffing back up to 2010 levels. Student Loan Forgiveness:Because of problems with student loan servicing and complicated program requirements, there are tens of thousands of student loan borrowers who might not get the forgiveness theyve earned. That would be unacceptable. Congress must fix this problem now to make sure that 150,000 Americans can receive the student loan forgiveness they have earned and deserve. Rural Infrastructure:Rural America is being shortchanged by the current, arbitrary funding caps set under the Budget Control Act.We need to bolster infrastructure investments in rural America by more than $2 billion, which are not being adequately funded under the current, arbitrary funding caps set by the Budget Control Act."" Fight the Opioid and Mental Health Epidemic: With this upcoming funding bill, Congress needs to double funding for mental health. That would send an extra billion dollars to programs that right now support treatment for more than 7 million people and provide training and resources to help identify mental health crises. To watch Sanders' speech,click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/sharing-the-holidays-with-vermont-seniors,Sharing the Holidays with Vermont Seniors,2017-12-20,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,,0,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/report-republican-tax-bill-hands-15-corporations-236-billion-tax-break,Report: Republican Tax Bill Hands 15 Corporations $236 Billion Tax Break,2017-12-18,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Report: Republican Tax Bill Hands 15 Corporations $236 Billion Tax Break Monday, December 18, 2017 WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 The Republican tax bill, which will be voted upon this week, will provide 15 of the largest and most profitable American corporations a $236 billion tax cut, according to a report prepared for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) by the Senate Budget Committee Democratic staff. In the final legislation released Friday night, Republicans are offering corporations a nearly 20 percent tax cut to repatriate trillions of dollars stashed in offshore tax havens. The proposed 15.5 percent rate would be a boondoggle for profitable, multinational corporations. After making $59 billion in profits last year, Apple would be the biggest winner with a tax break as large as $47.97 billion on the $246 billion it has stashed in offshore tax havens. Pfizer, with $775 million in 2016 profits, would receive up to a $38.8 billion tax cut; Microsoft up to a $27.7 billion cut after last years profits topped $20 billion; and, with $10.2 billion profits last year,General Electric would receive a tax break of up to $15.99 billion. A repatriation tax holiday has not worked in the past and will not work now, according to the report. As part of the 2004 American Jobs Creation Act, corporations were allowed to repatriate funds at a 5.25 percent tax rate with the assumption that the money would be used to boost the economy and create jobs. Instead, corporations brought $312 billion to the US and spent it on executive pay raises and stock buy backs. - In 2004, Pfizer repatriated $35.5 billion, fired 11,748 workers and gave its executives a raise of $12.8 million. - In 2004, Johnson & Johnson repatriated $10.6 billion, fired 4,062 workers, and gave its executives a raise of more than $32.8 million. The companystands to gain a tax cut of up to $12.9 billion tax break as a result of the Republican tax bill. During the debate over tax reform, corporate leaders have acknowledged that they will use repatriated funds to pay down debt or turn the gains over to their shareholders. They have made it clear that they have no intention of using the influx of cash to create jobs or invest in the American economy. This report is further proof that the Republican tax bill is a massive giveaway to the largest corporations in the country and the wealthiest individuals. Meanwhile, while the very rich get much richer more than half of middle class families will pay more in taxes at the end of ten years. Further, by running up a $1.4 trillion deficit, the Republicans are paving the way for massive cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. This is a tax bill written for wealthy Republican campaign contributors, not for the average American. It must be defeated,"" Sanders said. To read the report,click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-congress-must-not-break-until-it-deals-with-major-crises,Sanders: Congress Must Not Break Until it Deals With Major Crises,2017-12-18,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders: Congress Must Not Break Until it Deals With Major Crises Monday, December 18, 2017 BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 18 U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Monday regarding the end-of-year spending bill: ""As I have stated many times, Congress must not break for recess unless it addresses some of the major crises facing this country. While Republicans believe that tax breaks for billionaires and large corporations is the nation's major priority, I strongly disagree. Here are some of the issues that Congress must deal with now. ""We must act now to prevent 800,000 Dreamers, young people who were raised in this country and know no other home, from losing their legal status. Any end of the year spending agreement must address the fear and uncertainty unnecessarily caused by the administration's reckless actions, and a clean Dream Act must be signed into law. ""We must not allow 9 million children to lose their health insurance because the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) has not been re-funded. As of December 6th, nine states have already exhausted their 2017 funding, and 16 more states will exhaust their funding by the end of next month. Full funding for CHIP must be reauthorized. ""It has been more than two months since funding for the Community Health Center program has lapsed. If we do not act very soon, health care for the 27 million Americans who utilize community health centers will be threatened. Lives will be lost. Unnecessary suffer will occur. The community health center program must be fully funded. ""If Congress does not act soon, the earned pension benefits of more than 1.5 million workers and retirees in multi-employer pension plans could be cut by up to 60 percent. When a worker is promised a pension benefit after a lifetime of hard work that promise must be kept. Congress needs to act before the end of the year to make sure that no American in a multi-employer pension plan will see their pension cut."" Sanders and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) authored an op-ed in The New York Times Monday detailing the priorities that should be at the top of Congress' agenda at the end of the year.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-final-gop-tax-bill,Sanders Statement on Final GOP Tax Bill,2017-12-15,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Final GOP Tax Bill Friday, December 15, 2017 BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 15 U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Friday after Congressional Republicans released their final tax bill: ""This tax bill is a moral and economic obscenity. It is a gift to wealthy Republican campaign contributors and an insult to the working families of our country. At a time of massive income and wealth inequality this bill would provide the majority of benefits to the top 1 percent and the largest corporations. Unbelievably, at the end of 10 years it would actually raise taxes on millions of middle-class families and, by creating a $1.4 trillion deficit, would pave the way for massive cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other important programs. No member of Congress should vote for this disastrous legislation.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-statement-on-final-gop-tax-bill,Sanders Statement on Final GOP Tax Bill,2017-12-15,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Final GOP Tax Bill Friday, December 15, 2017 BURLINGTON, Vt., Dec. 15 U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Friday after Congressional Republicans released their final tax bill: ""This tax bill is a moral and economic obscenity. It is a gift to wealthy Republican campaign contributors and an insult to the working families of our country. At a time of massive income and wealth inequality this bill would provide the majority of benefits to the top 1 percent and the largest corporations. Unbelievably, at the end of 10 years it would actually raise taxes on millions of middle-class families and, by creating a $1.4 trillion deficit, would pave the way for massive cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other important programs. No member of Congress should vote for this disastrous legislation.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/-sanders-statement-on-fcc-decision-to-repeal-net-neutrality,Sanders Statement on FCC Decision to Repeal Net Neutrality,2017-12-14,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on FCC Decision to Repeal Net Neutrality Thursday, December 14, 2017 WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Thursday after the Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal net neutrality protections: ""Once again, the Trump administration has sided with big money and against the interests of the American people. The FCC’s vote to end net neutrality is an egregious attack on our democracy. With this decision the internet and its free exchange of information as we have come to know it will cease to exist. The end of net neutrality protections means that the internet will be for sale to the highest bidder, instead of everyone having the same access regardless of whether they are rich or poor, a big corporation or small business, a multimedia conglomerate or a small online publication. At a time when our democratic institutions are already in peril, we must do everything we can to stop this decision from taking effect.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/-sanders-statement-on-fcc-decision-to-repeal-net-neutrality,Sanders Statement on FCC Decision to Repeal Net Neutrality,2017-12-14,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on FCC Decision to Repeal Net Neutrality Thursday, December 14, 2017 WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Thursday after the Federal Communications Commission voted to repeal net neutrality protections: ""Once again, the Trump administration has sided with big money and against the interests of the American people. The FCC’s vote to end net neutrality is an egregious attack on our democracy. With this decision the internet and its free exchange of information as we have come to know it will cease to exist. The end of net neutrality protections means that the internet will be for sale to the highest bidder, instead of everyone having the same access regardless of whether they are rich or poor, a big corporation or small business, a multimedia conglomerate or a small online publication. At a time when our democratic institutions are already in peril, we must do everything we can to stop this decision from taking effect.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/listening-to-vermont-students,Listening to Vermont Students,2017-12-14,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,,0,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/listening-to-vermont-students_,Listening to Vermont Students,2017-12-14,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,,0,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/tax-conference-committee-statement,Tax Conference Committee Statement,2017-12-13,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Tax Conference Committee Statement Wednesday, December 13, 2017 Sen. Bernie Sanders' prepared statement for the tax conference committee. Sanders is the ranking member of the Budget Committee. Mr. Chairman, as you well know, this is not a real conference committee. It is a sham. According to media reports, much of this legislation has already been written behind closed doors which is consistent with the entire process for this bill from day one. In legislation that will have a major impact on our economy there has not been one public hearing, no opportunity to hear from economists, governors, mayors or ordinary Americans who will be impacted by this legislation.   This is legislation that was written for wealthy campaign contributors, for the billionaire class and by the billionaire class. In fact, it is my understanding that over 6,000 lobbyists have worked on this legislation behind closed doors.   Mr. Chairman, every poll that I have seen shows that by overwhelming numbers the American people do not want this bill to be passed. They know that in the Senate bill, in the midst of massive wealth and income inequality, 62 percent of the tax benefits go to the top 1 percent and 42 percent of the benefits go to the top one-tenth of 1 percent. In America today, the very rich are becoming much richer while the middle class continues to shrink, and your solution is to provide 62 percent of the benefits to the top 1 percent. The American people also understand that at the end of 10 years, 83 million middle class Americans will see their taxes go up under the Senate bill. They know that, with 13 million Americans losing their health insurance, health care premiums on the individual market will increase by 10 percent. And they also know, that despite years of Republicans telling us how concerned they are about deficits and the national debt, this legislation will increase the deficit by $1.4 trillion over 10 years.   And, furthermore, the American people are outraged by what Speaker Paul Ryan is proposing. And that is that he wants to offset this $1.4 trillion deficit by making massive cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. And that is where the Republican Party is today. Huge tax breaks for billionaires. And proposals to cut programs that are life and death for working families, the elderly, the children, the sick and the poor.  Mr. Chairman, just a few examples of the absurdity of this legislation.  The Senate bill provides a 90 percent tax deduction to Wall Street hedge fund managers who become residents of the Virgin Islands, while the House bill increases the taxes of working class graduate students by treating their tuition waivers as taxable income. At a time when climate change is ravaging the planet, the Senate bill gives investors in the Keystone Pipeline a 23 percent tax deduction on their profits after this pipeline leaked 210,000 gallons of oil in South Dakota. The Senate bill provides Pfizer, one of the largest and most profitable drug companies in the country with a $24 billion tax break on their offshore profits, while the House bill tells cancer patients they can no longer receive a tax deduction on their out-of-pocket medical expenses. The House bill gives the Koch brothers, who have contributed hundreds of millions into Republican candidates, a tax break on their dark money political contributions, while taking away the tax deduction teachers get for buying school supplies for low-income students who can’t afford pencils, notebooks and crayons.  At a time of massive wealth and income inequality, we need to rebuild the disappearing middle class. We do not need to provide tax breaks to billionaires.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/trumps-dod-unprepared-for-climate-adaptation-rejected-recommendations-for-improvement,"Trump's DOD Unprepared for Climate Adaptation, Rejected Recommendations for Improvement",2017-12-13,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 – After reviewing mounting evidence from the Government Accountability Office that climate change has reduced military readiness, President Donald Trump's administration rejected the science attributing extreme weather events to climate change as well as recommendations to monitor the effects of climate change. The Pentagon’s rejection of established climate science comes in response to a new GAO report prepared for Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Richard Durbin (D-Ill.). The study, reviewing the Pentagon’s efforts to plan for the impact of climate change on military bases in overseas locations, was requested in early 2016.  DOD has publicly acknowledged since 2010 that climate change is a threat to national security, and has said in the past that climate change will have serious implications on the ability to maintain and sustain military infrastructure and ensure military readiness. However, the Pentagon does not track how much the impacts of climate change will cost the department and regularly exempts key national security sites from vulnerability assessments, making it harder for DOD to effectively manage and budget for climate-related risks, according to a new report GAO prepared. New installations are rarely designed to include climate change adaptation because DOD inconsistently includes the relevant information in training and design standards. In its review of overseas military installations, GAO found numerous examples of potential and observed impacts of climate change-related extreme weather on DOD infrastructure and operations, including flooding, facility damage, water shortages, power outages, increased maintenance and encroachment on training. Many of these events threaten the United States’ military preparedness. In response to GAO’s recommendation that DOD require installations to systematically and comprehensively track the costs associated with extreme weather and climate change, President Trump’s Department of Defense said last month that the science attributing extreme weather events to climate change “is not supported” by previous GAO reports, and that associating extreme weather events to climate change “does not warrant the time and money” necessary to do so. DOD also rejected recommendations that the Army, Navy and Air Force take steps to administer climate-change vulnerability assessments to relevant locations, saying that the qualitative nature of the assessments render them “not a useful tool” for making long-term decisions. ""With President Trump as commander in chief, the Department of Defense, which previously called climate change a national security threat, now questions the science linking increasingly common extreme weather events to climate change. This is unacceptable and could severely jeopardize our military readiness. The Department of Defense should be doing all it can to fight the causes and prepare for the impacts of climate change to prevent threats to our national security, not questioning virtually the entire scientific community,"" Sanders said. “In this report, the nonpartisan GAO finds that climate change is real, that its effects (like sea level rise) are tangibly impacting military bases around the world, and that there is clear public benefit to doing something about it,” said Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Service Committee. “This follows on previous GAO reports showing clear challenges facing domestic military bases like Naval Station Norfolk. When scientists, the Department of Defense, Hampton Roads military and civilian leaders, and the federal government’s accountability watchdog all agree that climate change is real and needs to be addressed, we should listen to them. Denial is not an option.” “The U.S. defense community has consistently issued warning about climate change being a ‘threat multiplier.’ To postpone action to address and adapt for greater certainty on the causes and effects of climate change, as the Trump Administration is proposing, would be wholly irresponsible and potentially very costly,” said Cardin. “The findings of this report demonstrate that DOD has worked to understand the challenge, but needs a willingness at the political level, and adequate resources, to do more to lower risk and ensure military readiness in the face of our changing global climate.”  Click here to read the GAO report.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/trumps-dod-unprepared-for-climate-adaptation-rejected-recommendations-for-improvement,"Trump's DOD Unprepared for Climate Adaptation, Rejected Recommendations for Improvement",2017-12-13,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, Dec. 13 – After reviewing mounting evidence from the Government Accountability Office that climate change has reduced military readiness, President Donald Trump's administration rejected the science attributing extreme weather events to climate change as well as recommendations to monitor the effects of climate change. The Pentagon’s rejection of established climate science comes in response to a new GAO report prepared for Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Richard Durbin (D-Ill.). The study, reviewing the Pentagon’s efforts to plan for the impact of climate change on military bases in overseas locations, was requested in early 2016.  DOD has publicly acknowledged since 2010 that climate change is a threat to national security, and has said in the past that climate change will have serious implications on the ability to maintain and sustain military infrastructure and ensure military readiness. However, the Pentagon does not track how much the impacts of climate change will cost the department and regularly exempts key national security sites from vulnerability assessments, making it harder for DOD to effectively manage and budget for climate-related risks, according to a new report GAO prepared. New installations are rarely designed to include climate change adaptation because DOD inconsistently includes the relevant information in training and design standards. In its review of overseas military installations, GAO found numerous examples of potential and observed impacts of climate change-related extreme weather on DOD infrastructure and operations, including flooding, facility damage, water shortages, power outages, increased maintenance and encroachment on training. Many of these events threaten the United States’ military preparedness. In response to GAO’s recommendation that DOD require installations to systematically and comprehensively track the costs associated with extreme weather and climate change, President Trump’s Department of Defense said last month that the science attributing extreme weather events to climate change “is not supported” by previous GAO reports, and that associating extreme weather events to climate change “does not warrant the time and money” necessary to do so. DOD also rejected recommendations that the Army, Navy and Air Force take steps to administer climate-change vulnerability assessments to relevant locations, saying that the qualitative nature of the assessments render them “not a useful tool” for making long-term decisions. ""With President Trump as commander in chief, the Department of Defense, which previously called climate change a national security threat, now questions the science linking increasingly common extreme weather events to climate change. This is unacceptable and could severely jeopardize our military readiness. The Department of Defense should be doing all it can to fight the causes and prepare for the impacts of climate change to prevent threats to our national security, not questioning virtually the entire scientific community,"" Sanders said. “In this report, the nonpartisan GAO finds that climate change is real, that its effects (like sea level rise) are tangibly impacting military bases around the world, and that there is clear public benefit to doing something about it,” said Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Service Committee. “This follows on previous GAO reports showing clear challenges facing domestic military bases like Naval Station Norfolk. When scientists, the Department of Defense, Hampton Roads military and civilian leaders, and the federal government’s accountability watchdog all agree that climate change is real and needs to be addressed, we should listen to them. Denial is not an option.” “The U.S. defense community has consistently issued warning about climate change being a ‘threat multiplier.’ To postpone action to address and adapt for greater certainty on the causes and effects of climate change, as the Trump Administration is proposing, would be wholly irresponsible and potentially very costly,” said Cardin. “The findings of this report demonstrate that DOD has worked to understand the challenge, but needs a willingness at the political level, and adequate resources, to do more to lower risk and ensure military readiness in the face of our changing global climate.”  Click here to read the GAO report.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/lives-at-risk-inside-a-senior-complex-in-puerto-rico-with-no-power,Lives at Risk Inside a Senior Complex in Puerto Rico With No Power,2017-12-11,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Lives at Risk Inside a Senior Complex in Puerto Rico With No Power Monday, December 11, 2017 SAN JUAN, P.R. — Altagracia Rodriguez de Jesus woke up on a recent morning and cranked open the aluminum shutters along one wall of her small, eighth-floor apartment overlooking the capital. She took a cold shower and kept the bathroom door open to let in the sunlight. Her cockatiel, Precious, sat in a cage on the toilet. Ms. Rodriguez de Jesus, 80, sang to the bird. She and other residents at the subsidized apartment tower where she lives could not switch on lights, cook on electric stoves, turn on bedroom air-conditioners or use washing machines. Hurricane Irma cut power to the San Juan neighborhood of Hill Brothers on Sept. 6. Then, two weeks later, Hurricane Maria devastated the entire island’s electrical grid. It was not until early December that part of the neighborhood had power again. Continue reading here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/people-dont-take-their-pills-only-one-thing-seems-to-help,People Dont Take Their Pills. Only One Thing Seems to Help.,2017-12-11,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"People Don’t Take Their Pills. Only One Thing Seems to Help. By:  Austin Frakt Monday, December 11, 2017 For all that Americans spend on prescription drugs — $425 billion last year — you’d think we’d actually take our medicine. But one of the frustrating truths about American health care is that half or more of prescribed medication is never taken. It’s called medication nonadherence, and it’s a well-documented and longstanding problem, particularly for patients with chronic conditions. The drugs they’re prescribed are intended to prevent costly complications, reduce hospitalization, even keep them alive. But even when the stakes are high, many patients don’t take their meds. This seems like a problem we ought to be able to solve. It motivates high tech approaches, like digital pills that can automatically communicate to doctors that they’ve been taken. Continue reading here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-government-spending-deadline,Sanders Statement on Government Spending Deadline,2017-12-09,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Government Spending Deadline Saturday, December 9, 2017 The Republicans, who control the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House and the White House, must not be allowed to shut the government down at the end of the year.  Since the passage of the Budget Control Act in 2011, every budget agreement reached between Republicans and Democrats has maintained parity between defense and non-defense spending.  That must not change.   While the rich become much richer, many millions of middle class families are struggling to survive.  The Republicans cannot ask for $54 billion more in military spending, and ignore the health care needs of our children and working families in the CHIP and Community Health Center programs.  They cannot ignore millions of older workers who are about to lose the pensions they were promised, younger people burdened with outrageous levels of student debt or veterans unable to get the quality health care they were promised.  They cannot ignore the reality that 800,000 Dreamers will start losing their legal status in a few months and that an opioid epidemic is sweeping the country.   In short, the Republicans must work in a bi-partisan way to pass a budget which reflects the needs of all Americans, not just wealthy campaign contributors.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-statement-on-government-spending-deadline,Sanders Statement on Government Spending Deadline,2017-12-09,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Government Spending Deadline Saturday, December 9, 2017 The Republicans, who control the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House and the White House, must not be allowed to shut the government down at the end of the year.  Since the passage of the Budget Control Act in 2011, every budget agreement reached between Republicans and Democrats has maintained parity between defense and non-defense spending.  That must not change.   While the rich become much richer, many millions of middle class families are struggling to survive.  The Republicans cannot ask for $54 billion more in military spending, and ignore the health care needs of our children and working families in the CHIP and Community Health Center programs.  They cannot ignore millions of older workers who are about to lose the pensions they were promised, younger people burdened with outrageous levels of student debt or veterans unable to get the quality health care they were promised.  They cannot ignore the reality that 800,000 Dreamers will start losing their legal status in a few months and that an opioid epidemic is sweeping the country.   In short, the Republicans must work in a bi-partisan way to pass a budget which reflects the needs of all Americans, not just wealthy campaign contributors.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/bernies-podcast/-episode-12-our-budget-priorities-with-elizabeth-warren-120717,Episode 12: Our Budget Priorities with Elizabeth Warren,2017-12-07,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"While Republicans are busy trying to give enormous tax breaks to billionaires and corporations, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and I are here to talk about what we really should be prioritizing in our budget to invest in working families and put the middle class first.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-tax-reform-conference-committee,Sanders Statement on Tax Reform Conference Committee,2017-12-07,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Tax Reform Conference Committee Thursday, December 7, 2017 WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Thursday after Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) named him to the conference committee on the Republican tax legislation: ""I thank Leader Schumer for putting me on the so-called 'tax reform' conference committee. Let me be very clear: Both versions of the Senate and the House tax bills are morally grotesque and terrible economic policy. Both bills would provide massive tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, increase taxes on millions of middle class Americans, raise the deficit by more than $1 trillion, and lead to savage cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. And, by the way, both of these bills would provide major tax incentives to move American jobs and profits overseas. As a member of the conference committee, I will do everything I can to defeat these bills. We need to rebuild the disappearing middle class, not provide more tax breaks to billionaires. """,1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-statement-on-tax-reform-conference-committee,Sanders Statement on Tax Reform Conference Committee,2017-12-07,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Tax Reform Conference Committee Thursday, December 7, 2017 WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Thursday after Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) named him to the conference committee on the Republican tax legislation: ""I thank Leader Schumer for putting me on the so-called 'tax reform' conference committee. Let me be very clear: Both versions of the Senate and the House tax bills are morally grotesque and terrible economic policy. Both bills would provide massive tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, increase taxes on millions of middle class Americans, raise the deficit by more than $1 trillion, and lead to savage cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. And, by the way, both of these bills would provide major tax incentives to move American jobs and profits overseas. As a member of the conference committee, I will do everything I can to defeat these bills. We need to rebuild the disappearing middle class, not provide more tax breaks to billionaires. """,1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-franken,Sanders Statement on Franken,2017-12-06,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Franken Wednesday, December 6, 2017 WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement on Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.): ""Sen. Franken has said that he will be making an announcement about his political future tomorrow. The right thing is for him to resign. We are now at a crossroads in American culture. And it is an important one. The way we treat women in our country has been abysmal in almost every way. We are finally addressing the issue of sexual harassment, and we need to get it right. But the conversation we are having now is only the tip of the iceberg. It needs to be an ongoing movement of women and men that includes a national discussion about sexism, sexual harassment, objectification, inequality and abuse of power.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-statement-on-franken,Sanders Statement on Franken,2017-12-06,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Franken Wednesday, December 6, 2017 WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement on Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.): ""Sen. Franken has said that he will be making an announcement about his political future tomorrow. The right thing is for him to resign. We are now at a crossroads in American culture. And it is an important one. The way we treat women in our country has been abysmal in almost every way. We are finally addressing the issue of sexual harassment, and we need to get it right. But the conversation we are having now is only the tip of the iceberg. It needs to be an ongoing movement of women and men that includes a national discussion about sexism, sexual harassment, objectification, inequality and abuse of power.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-trumps-plan-to-recognize-jerusalem-as-the-capital-of-israel,Sanders Statement on Trump's Plan to Recognize Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel,2017-12-05,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Trump's Plan to Recognize Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel Tuesday, December 5, 2017 WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) responded to reports Tuesday that President Donald Trump plans to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel: ""I’m extremely concerned by reports that President Trump plans to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel. There’s a reason why all past U.S. administrations have avoided making this move, and why leaders from all over the world, including a group of former Israeli ambassadors, have warned Trump against doing it: It would dramatically undermine the prospects for an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, and severely, perhaps irreparably, damage the United States’ ability to broker that peace. What the U.S. should be doing now is bringing adversaries in the Middle East together to seek common solutions, not exacerbating tensions in this highly volatile region.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-to-trump-keep-your-promises-to-protect-social-security-and-medicare,Sanders to Trump: Keep Your Promises to Protect Social Security and Medicare,2017-12-05,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders to Trump: Keep Your Promises to Protect Social Security and Medicare Tuesday, December 5, 2017 WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) challenged President Donald Trump to keep his repeated promise to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid from Republican attempts to cut the programs. “Mr. President, on the campaign trail you said over and over again you would not cut Social Security or Medicare or Medicaid. And today, I am asking you nothing more than to keep your word. Don't lie to the American people. Millions of people voted for you because you said you would not cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Keep your word. Tell Senate Leader McConnell and tell House Speaker Paul Ryan that you will veto any legislation that cuts these programs,” Sanders said on the Senate floor Tuesday. Trump said repeatedly during the campaign that he would not cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.  In March 2016, then-candidate Trump said that unlike House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) he would protect the programs. “You know, Paul [Ryan] wants to knock out Social Security, knock it down, way down. He wants to knock Medicare way down,” Trump told WROK radio in Wisconsin. “I’m not going to cut it, and I’m not going to raise ages, and I’m not going to do all of the things that they want to do. But they want to really cut it, and they want to cut it very substantially, the Republicans, and I’m not going to do that.” According to The New York Times, Republicans plan to focus on cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid following tax reform. “As the tax cut legislation passed by the Senate early Saturday hurtles toward final approval, Republicans are preparing to use the swelling deficits made worse by the package as a rationale to pursue their long-held vision: undoing the entitlements of the New Deal and Great Society, leaving government leaner and the safety net skimpier for millions of Americans,” the Times reported in a front-page story last weekend. Last week, a number of Republicans publicly said that they plan to cut “entitlement programs” after passing their tax bill. At a FOX News town hall this week, Ryan said, “There’s two things you got to do to get this debt under control. Cut spending – most importantly reform entitlement programs – and grow the economy.” “Many argue that you can’t cut taxes because it will drive up the deficit,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) told business leaders. “But we have to do two things. We have to generate economic growth, which generates revenue, while reducing spending. That will mean instituting structural changes to Social Security and Medicare for the future.” And in an exchange with Sanders on the Senate floor before the tax bill passed, Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) refused to say that he would not support cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid – saying only that he would protect people currently on the programs. To watch and download Sanders' challenge to Trump on the Senate floor,click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-statement-on-trumps-plan-to-recognize-jerusalem-as-the-capital-of-israel,Sanders Statement on Trump's Plan to Recognize Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel,2017-12-05,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Trump's Plan to Recognize Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel Tuesday, December 5, 2017 WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) responded to reports Tuesday that President Donald Trump plans to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel: ""I’m extremely concerned by reports that President Trump plans to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Israel. There’s a reason why all past U.S. administrations have avoided making this move, and why leaders from all over the world, including a group of former Israeli ambassadors, have warned Trump against doing it: It would dramatically undermine the prospects for an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, and severely, perhaps irreparably, damage the United States’ ability to broker that peace. What the U.S. should be doing now is bringing adversaries in the Middle East together to seek common solutions, not exacerbating tensions in this highly volatile region.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-to-trump-keep-your-promises-to-protect-social-security-and-medicare,Sanders to Trump: Keep Your Promises to Protect Social Security and Medicare,2017-12-05,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders to Trump: Keep Your Promises to Protect Social Security and Medicare Tuesday, December 5, 2017 WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) challenged President Donald Trump to keep his repeated promise to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid from Republican attempts to cut the programs. “Mr. President, on the campaign trail you said over and over again you would not cut Social Security or Medicare or Medicaid. And today, I am asking you nothing more than to keep your word. Don't lie to the American people. Millions of people voted for you because you said you would not cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Keep your word. Tell Senate Leader McConnell and tell House Speaker Paul Ryan that you will veto any legislation that cuts these programs,” Sanders said on the Senate floor Tuesday. Trump said repeatedly during the campaign that he would not cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.  In March 2016, then-candidate Trump said that unlike House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) he would protect the programs. “You know, Paul [Ryan] wants to knock out Social Security, knock it down, way down. He wants to knock Medicare way down,” Trump told WROK radio in Wisconsin. “I’m not going to cut it, and I’m not going to raise ages, and I’m not going to do all of the things that they want to do. But they want to really cut it, and they want to cut it very substantially, the Republicans, and I’m not going to do that.” According to The New York Times, Republicans plan to focus on cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid following tax reform. “As the tax cut legislation passed by the Senate early Saturday hurtles toward final approval, Republicans are preparing to use the swelling deficits made worse by the package as a rationale to pursue their long-held vision: undoing the entitlements of the New Deal and Great Society, leaving government leaner and the safety net skimpier for millions of Americans,” the Times reported in a front-page story last weekend. Last week, a number of Republicans publicly said that they plan to cut “entitlement programs” after passing their tax bill. At a FOX News town hall this week, Ryan said, “There’s two things you got to do to get this debt under control. Cut spending – most importantly reform entitlement programs – and grow the economy.” “Many argue that you can’t cut taxes because it will drive up the deficit,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) told business leaders. “But we have to do two things. We have to generate economic growth, which generates revenue, while reducing spending. That will mean instituting structural changes to Social Security and Medicare for the future.” And in an exchange with Sanders on the Senate floor before the tax bill passed, Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) refused to say that he would not support cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid – saying only that he would protect people currently on the programs. To watch and download Sanders' challenge to Trump on the Senate floor, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-speaks-with-vermont-high-school-students_about-goals-after-graduation-,Sanders Speaks With Vermont High School Students About Goals After Graduation,2017-12-04,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"MORRISVILLE, Vt., Dec. 4 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) visited Peoples Academy in Morrisville Monday morning to have an open conversation with students about their aspirations and goals after graduating high school. “It’s important that we understand how students see their options as they prepare to graduate high school,” said Sanders, who serves on the Senate education committee. “Do they have adequate information to determine the best college for them and how they can finance a higher education? If they are not going to college, do they know how to get training to secure the best jobs that are out there?” Sanders said. Sanders was joined by Vermont Agency of Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe, Vermont Department of Labor Commissioner Lindsay Kurrle, local business owners, and other state and regional education and workforce development leaders.  “The economic return to education is increasing. Students need to understand -- and need help leveraging -- the benefit of some post-secondary credential, whether it is an industry recognized credential in a trade or a college degree,” Holcombe said, adding, “And, particularly in some of our rural communities, wouldn’t it be great if some of our students grew up to be the doctors, skilled tradespeople and other professionals their communities desperately need to grow a more prosperous future?  We need to work together to make this happen.” Sanders visited the Vermont high school to seek candid input from young Vermonters to help inform his work in the Senate. Philip Grant, principal of Peoples Academy, said high schools throughout Vermont have become “increasingly more collaborative and creative to help prepare students for their path beyond graduation.” “Increased and flexible opportunities, such as early college, dual enrollment, online learning, internships, and expanding tech centers are also greatly improving students’ focus and access to postsecondary aspirations. As a result, seniors are becoming more prepared for what they want to do in life,” Grant said. In October, Sanders held a series of college fairs in Vermont to help high school students and their families learn about higher education options. Next spring, Sanders will host additional resource fairs with information about higher education and career opportunities.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-challenges-trump-to-reject-gop-plan-to-cut-social-security-medicare-medicaid,"Sanders Challenges Trump to Reject GOP Plan to Cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid",2017-12-04,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Challenges Trump to Reject GOP Plan to Cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid Monday, December 4, 2017 READING, Penn., Dec. 3 – At a rally here Sunday against the Republican tax bill, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) challenged President Donald Trump to keep his word to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. “Mr. President, you told the American people time and time again you were not going to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Today, get on the phone. Tell Paul Ryan, tell Mitch McConnell that you will veto any bill that cuts Social Security, that cuts Medicare, that cuts Medicaid,” Sanders said. Trump said repeatedly during the campaign that he would not cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.  In March 2016, then-candidate Trump said that unlike House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) he would protect the programs. “You know, Paul [Ryan] wants to knock out Social Security, knock it down, way down. He wants to knock Medicare way down,” Trump told WROK radio in Wisconsin. “I’m not going to cut it, and I’m not going to raise ages, and I’m not going to do all of the things that they want to do. But they want to really cut it, and they want to cut it very substantially, the Republicans, and I’m not going to do that.” It is now becoming very clear that is exactly what Republicans intend to do. This week, a number of Republicans publicly said that they plan to cut “entitlement programs” after passing their tax bill. At a FOX News town hall this week, Ryan said, “There’s two things you got to do to get this debt under control. Cut spending – most importantly reform entitlement programs – and grow the economy.” “Many argue that you can’t cut taxes because it will drive up the deficit,” U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) told business leaders. “But we have to do two things. We have to generate economic growth, which generates revenue, while reducing spending. That will mean instituting structural changes to Social Security and Medicare for the future.” And in an exchange with Sanders on the Senate floor before the tax bill passed, U.S. Sen Pat Toomey (R-Penn.) refused to say that he would not support cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid – saying only that he would protect people currently on the programs. To watch the rally, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-challenges-trump-to-reject-gop-plan-to-cut-social-security-medicare-medicaid,"Sanders Challenges Trump to Reject GOP Plan to Cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid",2017-12-03,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Challenges Trump to Reject GOP Plan to Cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid Sunday, December 3, 2017 READING, Penn., Dec. 3 – At a rally here Sunday against the Republican tax bill, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) challenged President Donald Trump to keep his word to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. “Mr. President, you told the American people time and time again you were not going to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Today, get on the phone. Tell Paul Ryan, tell Mitch McConnell that you will veto any bill that cuts Social Security, that cuts Medicare, that cuts Medicaid,” Sanders said. Trump said repeatedly during the campaign that he would not cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.  In March 2016, then-candidate Trump said that unlike House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) he would protect the programs. “You know, Paul [Ryan] wants to knock out Social Security, knock it down, way down. He wants to knock Medicare way down,” Trump told WROK radio in Wisconsin. “I’m not going to cut it, and I’m not going to raise ages, and I’m not going to do all of the things that they want to do. But they want to really cut it, and they want to cut it very substantially, the Republicans, and I’m not going to do that.” It is now becoming very clear that is exactly what Republicans intend to do. This week, a number of Republicans publicly said that they plan to cut “entitlement programs” after passing their tax bill. At a FOX News town hall this week, Ryan said, “There’s two things you got to do to get this debt under control. Cut spending – most importantly reform entitlement programs – and grow the economy.” “Many argue that you can’t cut taxes because it will drive up the deficit,” U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) told business leaders. “But we have to do two things. We have to generate economic growth, which generates revenue, while reducing spending. That will mean instituting structural changes to Social Security and Medicare for the future.” And in an exchange with Sanders on the Senate floor before the tax bill passed, U.S. Sen Pat Toomey (R-Penn.) refused to say that he would not support cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid – saying only that he would protect people currently on the programs. To watch the rally, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/testing-solar-in-vermont,Testing Solar in Vermont,2017-12-01,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,,0,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/vermont-viewpoint-howard-sinnott,Vermont Viewpoint: Howard Sinnott,2017-12-01,2017,2017-12,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,,0,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-motion-to-proceed-with-republican-tax-plan,Sanders Statement on Motion to Proceed with Republican Tax Plan,2017-11-29,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Motion to Proceed with Republican Tax Plan Wednesday, November 29, 2017 WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement Wednesday after Senate Republicans voted to move forward with their tax bill: ""I am disappointed but not surprised that the Republicans voted unanimously to proceed with a disastrous tax bill. This bill will provide 62 percent of the benefits to the top 1 percent and at the end of 10 years increase taxes on 87 million middle class households – half of the families making $200,000 a year or less. Together the American people must rally to defeat the Republican tax bill.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-trumps-promotion-of-anti-muslim-videos,Sanders Statement on Trump's Promotion of Anti-Muslim Videos,2017-11-29,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Trump's Promotion of Anti-Muslim Videos Wednesday, November 29, 2017 WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Wednesday: ""I do not make it a habit to respond to every ugly or absurd tweet from President Trump. If I did that, I’d have little time for anything else. But even for Trump, today's retweet of a series of offensive videos from a British right-wing, anti-Muslim fringe group reaches a new low. The goal of these videos is clear: to promote fear and hatred of Muslims, and to incite hostility toward a minority group. I know that Trump is not much into history or the U.S. Constitution, but he ought to know that millions of men and women have struggled, fought and died to defend our democracy and the religious freedom that our Constitution guarantees. ""This Friday I will be visiting Louisville, Kentucky, the city where Muhammad Ali, one of the most popular athletes of the 20th Century, who also happened to be an American Muslim, was born and raised. While there I plan on visiting the Muhammad Ali Center, a museum that focuses not only on Ali’s career as a boxer and athlete, but also on his legacy as an activist and spokesman for the Muslim faith.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-statement-on-motion-to-proceed-with-republican-tax-plan,Sanders Statement on Motion to Proceed with Republican Tax Plan,2017-11-29,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Motion to Proceed with Republican Tax Plan Wednesday, November 29, 2017 WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement Wednesday after Senate Republicans voted to move forward with their tax bill: ""I am disappointed but not surprised that the Republicans voted unanimously to proceed with a disastrous tax bill. This bill will provide 62 percent of the benefits to the top 1 percent and at the end of 10 years increase taxes on 87 million middle class households – half of the families making $200,000 a year or less. Together the American people must rally to defeat the Republican tax bill.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/sanders-challenges-republicans-to-prove-him-wrong-about-tax-bill,Sanders Challenges Republicans to Prove Him Wrong About Tax Bill,2017-11-29,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Challenges Republicans to Prove Him Wrong About Tax Bill On the Senate floor Wednesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) challenged Republicans to tell him he is “wrong” – that they will not cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid if the tax bill passes and creates a $1.4 trillion deficit.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-colleagues-unveil-legislation-to-rebuild-puerto-rico-and-virgin-islands,"Sanders, Colleagues Unveil Legislation to Rebuild Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands",2017-11-28,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), along with five cosponsors in the Senate, introduced a comprehensive plan Tuesday to address the immediate humanitarian needs in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and ensure that the islands not only recover, but are able to rebuild in a way that empowers them to thrive. The Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Equitable Rebuild Act is cosponsored in the Senate by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). Reps. Stacy Plaskett (D-V.I.), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.) and Darren Soto (D-Fla.) will introduce a companion bill in the House. The bill is endorsed by 75 organizations. More than two months after Hurricane Maria, much of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands remain devastated. More than half of Puerto Rico is still without power. In both territories, clean drinking water is difficult if not impossible to find in many areas and thousands of people are still living in temporary shelters. The legislation introduced today would instruct the federal government to immediately address these humanitarian crises by mobilizing all necessary resources and assets to restore power, provide clean drinking water and food, safe shelter and access to health care. And, it would do so without forcing the territories to take on more debt. The Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Equitable Rebuild Act emphasizes local control and sustainable rebuilding of the territories and instructs Congress to address Puerto Rico’s debt – a major impediment to a just and full recovery. And, it ensures that any federal disaster funding provided to the islands is protected from Wall Street vulture funds and acted upon with local input and local workers. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz offered her support for the bill: “The bill that Senator Sanders has introduced in the United States Congress is a comprehensive plan that provides the blueprint for the transformation of Puerto Rico. While dealing with all major areas of immediate concern: energy, health and education it also sets the foundation to make Puerto Rico a more equitable, just and fair society for all. Senator Sanders also shows a great deal of respect and faith in us when claiming that the recovery or Puerto Rico must be in Puerto Rican hands. The bill comes from Sanders’ commitment of listening first hand to the hopes and aspirations of our people and must be given serious consideration by Congress.” “It is unconscionable that in the wealthiest nation in the world we have allowed our fellow citizens to suffer for so long. The full resources of the United States must be brought to bear on this crisis, for as long as is necessary,” said Sanders, who visited Puerto Rico in October. “But we cannot simply rebuild Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands the way they were. We must go forward to create a strong, sustainable economy and energy system in both territories and address inequities in federal law that have allowed the territories to fall behind in almost every measurable social and economic criteria.” The bill addresses seven components necessary to rebuild and move the islands forward: 1) Debt and Privatization: Puerto Rico’s debt must be addressed to ensure the territory can recover with dignity. Congress must also prevent the privatization of public institutions to benefit creditors in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico is struggling with an unsustainable $74.8 billion of debt, much of which is held by Wall Street creditors, with an additional $49 billion in unpaid pension obligations. The territories’ recovery should not add to existing debt. 2) Resilient and Renewable Energy: Instead of simply rebuilding an antiquated, centralized and inefficient system dependent on imported fossil fuels, the bill ensures the electric grids will be rebuilt to be more renewable and resilient, to provide less expensive electricity and create local jobs. 3) Medicaid and Medicare Parity: The health care systems in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico were inadequate before the hurricanes made landfall, in large part because they receive far fewer federal dollars compared to states. The bill makes Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands eligible for the same Medicare and Medicaid benefits as the rest of America. 4) Rebuild and Improve the VA Hospital and Clinics: Appropriates necessary funds to the VA for veterans in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. 5) Improve Public Schools, Colleges, and Childcare Facilities: In addition to rebuilding damaged schools and childcare facilities, we must face the fact that many of these facilities were inadequate before the storms hit. Hundreds of public schools in Puerto Rico have been closed because of austerity policies, and schools in the Virgin Islands are struggling to prepare students for college and future careers. The bill appropriates necessary funds for services and facilities for public Head Start, elementary, secondary and higher education.   6) Invest in Infrastructure and Spur Economic Development: Underfunded infrastructure in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands contributed to the severity of the damage from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. In addition to rebuilding damaged facilities, the legislation would make significant investments in the islands’ physical infrastructure to spur the local economy and create jobs.   7) Environmental Cleanup: Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have significant environmental contamination related to the hurricanes, prior pollution and a legacy of military bombing exercises on Vieques. The legislation would provide grants to the EPA, the Department of the Interior and the Department of Defense for environmental remediation. ""This bill from Senator Sanders is crucial because it will emphasize the importance of input in the recovery process by local impacted communities along with ensuring public participation in an open and transparent oversight process. This legislation will also promote long-term economic development, environmental safeguards, and rights of the local communities affected and to chart the path to recovery for the Virgin Islands. Ensuring the input of local communities as well as local and municipal powers in the recovery effort of the Virgin Islands is critical to a balanced response that fully meets the needs of impacted communities of the territories. It is imperative that we learn from the shortcomings from these disasters that have created a humanitarian crises the echoes of which are still being felt in the Virgin Islands,"" Plaskett said. ""The principles and the legislation being announced today provide a framework not just for finally getting control of the ongoing crisis – but ensuring we invest to build Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands back better. This will lay the groundwork for making Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands whole,"" said Velázquez.  ""The people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands suffered one of the worst disasters our country has ever experienced, and Congress has done the minimum expected of us. Congress must rise to the occasion and implement this new Marshall Plan to help our fellow American citizens rebuild and recover,"" said Gillibrand. ""We must all pledge to stand with these families until the islands are rebuilt and fully back on their feet."" ""This bill provides the help that the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands desperately need. It tells millions of U.S. citizens: we have not forgotten you. Congress should pass it right away -- the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are counting on us. I was glad to work closely with Senator Sanders on this far-reaching bill so that we can aid our fellow U.S. citizens and help them along a path to full recovery,"" said Warren. ""The people of Puerto Rico have been living in a nightmare for far too long,"" stated Soto. ""We talk about power to the people. The people of Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands need power! I am proud to co-introduce the Just Rebuild Puerto Rico & the U.S. Virgin Islands Act of 2017, legislation that will help them get the lights back on and their economies going again.  As we look to rebuild the islands, we have an opportunity to become an energy model for the 21st century if we invest right.""   ""The people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have waited far too long for a comprehensive effort from the federal government to recover from these devastating storms and to rebuild in a way that makes them stronger for the future. The Administration and Congress must stop delaying, and pass real, meaningful relief so that these Americans can begin the process of long-term recovery,"" Markey said. For a summary of the bill, click here. For the section by section, click here. For a copy of the legislation, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-colleagues-unveil-legislation-to-rebuild-puerto-rico-and-virgin-islands,"Sanders, Colleagues Unveil Legislation to Rebuild Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands",2017-11-28,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), along with five cosponsors in the Senate, introduced a comprehensive plan Tuesday to address the immediate humanitarian needs in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and ensure that the islands not only recover, but are able to rebuild in a way that empowers them to thrive. The Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Equitable Rebuild Act is cosponsored in the Senate by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). Reps. Stacy Plaskett (D-V.I.), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.) and Darren Soto (D-Fla.) will introduce a companion bill in the House. The bill is endorsed by 75 organizations. More than two months after Hurricane Maria, much of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands remain devastated. More than half of Puerto Rico is still without power. In both territories, clean drinking water is difficult if not impossible to find in many areas and thousands of people are still living in temporary shelters. The legislation introduced today would instruct the federal government to immediately address these humanitarian crises by mobilizing all necessary resources and assets to restore power, provide clean drinking water and food, safe shelter and access to health care. And, it would do so without forcing the territories to take on more debt. The Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Equitable Rebuild Act emphasizes local control and sustainable rebuilding of the territories and instructs Congress to address Puerto Rico’s debt – a major impediment to a just and full recovery. And, it ensures that any federal disaster funding provided to the islands is protected from Wall Street vulture funds and acted upon with local input and local workers. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz offered her support for the bill: “The bill that Senator Sanders has introduced in the United States Congress is a comprehensive plan that provides the blueprint for the transformation of Puerto Rico. While dealing with all major areas of immediate concern: energy, health and education it also sets the foundation to make Puerto Rico a more equitable, just and fair society for all. Senator Sanders also shows a great deal of respect and faith in us when claiming that the recovery or Puerto Rico must be in Puerto Rican hands. The bill comes from Sanders’ commitment of listening first hand to the hopes and aspirations of our people and must be given serious consideration by Congress.” “It is unconscionable that in the wealthiest nation in the world we have allowed our fellow citizens to suffer for so long. The full resources of the United States must be brought to bear on this crisis, for as long as is necessary,” said Sanders, who visited Puerto Rico in October. “But we cannot simply rebuild Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands the way they were. We must go forward to create a strong, sustainable economy and energy system in both territories and address inequities in federal law that have allowed the territories to fall behind in almost every measurable social and economic criteria.” The bill addresses seven components necessary to rebuild and move the islands forward: 1) Debt and Privatization: Puerto Rico’s debt must be addressed to ensure the territory can recover with dignity. Congress must also prevent the privatization of public institutions to benefit creditors in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico is struggling with an unsustainable $74.8 billion of debt, much of which is held by Wall Street creditors, with an additional $49 billion in unpaid pension obligations. The territories’ recovery should not add to existing debt. 2) Resilient and Renewable Energy: Instead of simply rebuilding an antiquated, centralized and inefficient system dependent on imported fossil fuels, the bill ensures the electric grids will be rebuilt to be more renewable and resilient, to provide less expensive electricity and create local jobs. 3) Medicaid and Medicare Parity: The health care systems in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico were inadequate before the hurricanes made landfall, in large part because they receive far fewer federal dollars compared to states. The bill makes Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands eligible for the same Medicare and Medicaid benefits as the rest of America. 4) Rebuild and Improve the VA Hospital and Clinics: Appropriates necessary funds to the VA for veterans in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. 5) Improve Public Schools, Colleges, and Childcare Facilities: In addition to rebuilding damaged schools and childcare facilities, we must face the fact that many of these facilities were inadequate before the storms hit. Hundreds of public schools in Puerto Rico have been closed because of austerity policies and schools in the Virgin Islands are struggling to prepare students for college and future careers. The bill appropriates necessary funds for services and facilities for public Head Start, elementary, secondary and higher education.   6) Invest in Infrastructure and Spur Economic Development: Underfunded infrastructure in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands contributed to the severity of the damage from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. In addition to rebuilding damaged facilities, the legislation would make significant investments in the islands’ physical infrastructure to spur the local economy and create jobs.   7) Environmental Cleanup: Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have significant environmental contamination related to the hurricanes, prior pollution and a legacy of military bombing exercises on Vieques. The legislation would provide grants to the EPA, the Department of the Interior and the Department of Defense for environmental remediation. ""This bill from Senator Sanders is crucial because it will emphasize the importance of input in the recovery process by local impacted communities along with ensuring public participation in an open and transparent oversight process. This legislation will also promote long-term economic development, environmental safeguards, and rights of the local communities affected and to chart the path to recovery for the Virgin Islands. Ensuring the input of local communities as well as local and municipal powers in the recovery effort of the Virgin Islands is critical to a balanced response that fully meets the needs of impacted communities of the territories. It is imperative that we learn from the shortcomings from these disasters that have created a humanitarian crises the echoes of which are still being felt in the Virgin Islands,"" Plaskett said. ""The principles and the legislation being announced today provide a framework not just for finally getting control of the ongoing crisis – but ensuring we invest to build Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands back better. This will lay the groundwork for making Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands whole,"" said Velázquez.  ""The people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands suffered one of the worst disasters our country has ever experienced, and Congress has done the minimum expected of us. Congress must rise to the occasion and implement this new Marshall Plan to help our fellow American citizens rebuild and recover,"" said Gillibrand. ""We must all pledge to stand with these families until the islands are rebuilt and fully back on their feet."" ""This bill provides the help that the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands desperately need. It tells millions of U.S. citizens: we have not forgotten you. Congress should pass it right away -- the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are counting on us. I was glad to work closely with Senator Sanders on this far-reaching bill so that we can aid our fellow U.S. citizens and help them along a path to full recovery,"" said Warren. ""The people of Puerto Rico have been living in a nightmare for far too long,"" stated Soto. ""We talk about power to the people. The people of Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands need power! I am proud to co-introduce the Just Rebuild Puerto Rico & the U.S. Virgin Islands Act of 2017, legislation that will help them get the lights back on and their economies going again.  As we look to rebuild the islands, we have an opportunity to become an energy model for the 21st century if we invest right."" ""The people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have waited far too long for a comprehensive effort from the federal government to recover from these devastating storms and to rebuild in a way that makes them stronger for the future. The Administration and Congress must stop delaying, and pass real, meaningful relief so that these Americans can begin the process of long-term recovery,"" Markey said. “The devastating effects of this historic natural disaster calls for a historic response. Our bill has the makings of a Marshall Plan – providing vital funds to rebuild islands’ housing, electricity, health care, and basic government operations. Relief is not enough. Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands must rebuild with resilience to better withstand future disasters, and we must meet our moral obligation to help fellow American citizens in need,” Blumenthal said. For a summary of the bill, click here. For the section by section, click here. For a copy of the legislation, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/vermont/what-i-learned-in-high-school-last-week,What I learned in High School Last Week,2017-11-28,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"What I learned in High School… Last Week By:  U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders Tuesday, November 28, 2017 Last year, more than 60,000 people died from opioid overdoses in the United States. That’s more Americans dying in one year than during the entire 19 years of the Vietnam War.  In our small state, 112 Vermonters died from a drug overdose, which is three times as many as died in 2010.  And what’s even more shocking than the sheer numbers of people dying is how hard this epidemic is hitting younger people. Drug overdose is now the leading cause of death for people younger than 50. In Vermont, the average age of death from overdose is just 40 years old.  And in 2016, nearly 20 percent of the drug overdose deaths were in people under age 30. Solving the opioid epidemic will not be easy. We’re going to have to challenge the pharmaceutical industry, which made huge profits by putting drugs on the market that were far more addictive than they admitted. We’re going to have to deal with drug wholesalers, who are selling far more pills than anyone thinks is necessary for medical reasons. We’re going to have to make sure doctors and dentists – as Vermont providers have begun doing – take up safe prescribing practices so excess painkillers aren’t abused or misused and that states use tools to curb so-called “doctor shopping” and “pill-mills.” But, at the end of the day, if we’re going to solve this terrible crisis, we’re going to have to do a lot better job at prevention – keeping people from turning to drugs in the first place. And to do that, we must look to our young people. For that reason, on the Friday before the Thanksgiving break, I went to Burlington High School to talk to the entire student body. I was joined by T.J. Donovan, Vermont’s Attorney General; Dr. Heather Stein, an expert on opioid addiction; and Kelly Breeyear, a courageous woman who is living in recovery from addiction. I wanted to discuss the dangers of taking opioids, but I also wanted to hear from our students. I needed their help.  In Washington, I sit on the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee, which hears from some of the most knowledgeable people in this country on all kinds of matters relating to health care and education. But on this issue of opioid and heroin addiction, and on the question of why so many young people are turning to drugs and how we can prevent that, I believe our nation’s young people might know more than the experts. These young people know first-hand what it’s like to live in a family where a parent struggles with addiction. They know from personal experience what kind of pressure exists when your best friends are experimenting with pills and ask you to join in. They might also know, if they injured themselves or had their wisdom teeth removed, how tempting it could be to keep taking painkillers prescribed by a doctor, even when the physical pain subsides. They certainly know better than older generations what it’s like to be growing up in today’s crazy and rapidly changing world.  And, perhaps most tragically, they know how common it can be to struggle with anxiety or even depression – a growing problem for young people. In their questions and comments, what I heard from these high school students was truly insightful. Many of them talked about looking for ways to fight stigma, to make it clear that it is okay to confide in each other about personal and family problems and that one not need to be embarrassed to ask for professional help. They talked about how important it is for people struggling with addiction to not only have access to treatment, but have their recovery supported when they came back home. They wanted to understand why health insurance companies are willing to pay for expensive prescription opioids, but refuse to cover other options like acupuncture and yoga, or mental health care. If I learned one thing from talking with and listening to these students, it’s that they do know the dangers of heroin and other opioids. They know that these drugs can destroy their lives, and the lives of the people they love. But I also learned that they want and need constructive alternatives.  And that, as adults, is our job.  We must create schools that challenge them intellectually and support them emotionally, and make sure that none of them “fall through the cracks.” We must help make sure they have a safe place to live and an opportunity for higher education or a job that gives them purpose. We must appreciate their ideas and make them a part of the solution.  Every single one of our young people deserves a chance at a bright future. And when we accomplish that, I have little doubt that we will have gone a long way toward ending the opioid crisis.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-to-republicans-how-much-will-you-cut-social-security-medicare-and-medicaid-to-pay-for-tax-cuts,"Sanders to Republicans: How Much Will You Cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid to Pay for Tax Cuts?",2017-11-27,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders to Republicans: How Much Will You Cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid to Pay for Tax Cuts? Monday, November 27, 2017 WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 – In a letter sent Monday to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) demanded honesty from the Republican leaders as to how they would pay for the $1.4 trillion deficit in their ""tax reform"" bills. ""I am very concerned that if you succeed in passing tax legislation that significantly adds to our national debt, you will then move aggressively to balance the budget on the backs of working families, the elderly, the children, the sick and the poor. In other words, in order to pay for tax breaks for the rich and large corporations, you will make massive cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, nutrition, environmental protection and every other program designed to protect the needs of the middle class and working families of our country,"" Sanders wrote in the letter. ""The bottom line is that the American people have a right to know exactly how you plan to pay for a $1.4 trillion increase in the deficit before, not after, tax legislation is signed into law. In your response, please be as specific as you can."" To read the letter, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-to-republicans-how-much-will-you-cut-social-security-medicare-and-medicaid-to-pay-for-tax-cuts,"Sanders to Republicans: How Much Will You Cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid to Pay for Tax Cuts?",2017-11-27,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders to Republicans: How Much Will You Cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid to Pay for Tax Cuts? Monday, November 27, 2017 WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 – In a letter sent Monday to Senate Majority Leader McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker Ryan (R-Wisc.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) demanded honesty from the Republican leaders as to how they would pay for the $1.4 trillion deficit in their ""tax reform"" bills. ""I am very concerned that if you succeed in passing tax legislation that significantly adds to our national debt, you will then move aggressively to balance the budget on the backs of working families, the elderly, the children, the sick and the poor. In other words, in order to pay for tax breaks for the rich and large corporations, you will make massive cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, nutrition, environmental protection and every other program designed to protect the needs of the middle class and working families of our country,"" Sanders wrote in the letter. ""The bottom line is that the American people have a right to know exactly how you plan to pay for a $1.4 trillion increase in the deficit before, not after, tax legislation is signed into law. In your response, please be as specific as you can."" To read the letter, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/happy-thanksgiving,Happy Thanksgiving,2017-11-23,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Happy Thanksgiving On behalf of Jane, my four kids and seven grandchildren, I wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving. This has been a tough year, but we can move forward as a country in a direction based on generosity and love. See Video on YouTube Tweet Copy Link",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-holds-student-meeting-on-opioids,Sanders Holds Student Meeting on Opioids,2017-11-17,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Holds Student Meeting on Opioids Friday, November 17, 2017 BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 17 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) held a student town meeting Friday with the entire student body of Burlington High School and the Burlington Technical Center to discuss the opioid crisis in Vermont and throughout the United States.   “I need your help. Not only for Vermont, but for the entire country,” Sanders told the students. “It is critically important that we have an honest and open discussion about this crisis that claimed the lives of 112 Vermonters last year, and affected thousands more. If we do not have the courage to talk about this issue. We are never, ever going to solve it.”  “None of us are immune to the effects of addiction. It doesn’t matter if you live in New York City or rural Vermont,” said Sanders, who serves on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.  Sanders was joined by a panel including: Kelly Breeyear, a Vermonter who shared her personal experience with addiction, Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan and Dr. Heather Stein, associate medical director at the Community Health Centers of Burlington.  “You have a choice now. After you have it in your system, you may not have a choice ever again,” Breeyear said. “We need to start telling the truth. We need your help to find a solution. We need to stop this now.” Donovan said, “We have to speak out, lift people up and help members of the community with this disease. The opiate crisis doesn't discriminate -- it affects everyone. We all have to work together, from people in government to teachers, students and family members.” Stein runs Community Health Centers of Burlington’s program that helps patients who are struggling with substance abuse. “Your brain is going to be hooked on something faster than someone twice your age,” Stein told the students. “You’ll do things you can’t imagine now to get narcotics.” Following the panel discussion, students participated in a question-and-answer session, sharing personal experiences and asking a broad range of questions. Last year, more than 60,000 people died from opioid overdoses in the United States, including 112 in Vermont. Narcan was used on more than 2,200 Vermonters last year to reverse the effects of an overdose, according to the Vermont Department of Health. If you or someone you know needs help with an opioid addiction, call toll free 1-866-652-4636 or dial 2-1-1.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-white-house-request-for-disaster-relief-funds,Sanders Statement on White House Request for Disaster Relief Funds,2017-11-17,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on White House Request for Disaster Relief Funds Friday, November 17, 2017 BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 17 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Friday after the White House asked Congress for $44 billion in additional disaster relief for areas ravaged by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria: ""The president’s request for supplemental appropriations for disaster relief is totally inadequate. While the president wants to provide the very richest people in this country hundreds of billions in tax relief, he is largely ignoring the needs of the communities that were devastated by the recent hurricanes. Two months after Hurricane Maria, the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are still suffering without electricity, clean water and other basic necessities. That is not acceptable. I will be releasing comprehensive legislation this month to address the short- and long-term needs of the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As a nation, we must stand with those communities that have been devastated by natural disasters.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/letter-to-sec-tillerson-on-iran-earthquake-aid,Letter to Sec. Tillerson on Iran Earthquake Aid,2017-11-17,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Letter to Sec. Tillerson on Iran Earthquake Aid Friday, November 17, 2017 November 16, 2017 The Honorable Rex Tillerson Secretary U.S. Department of State 2201 C St. NW Washington, DC 20520 Dear Secretary Tillerson: We write today concerning the recent earthquake that struck Iran on November 12. The latest reports indicate over 500 dead and thousands wounded, making this earthquake the world’s deadliest of the year. We urge you temporarily waive any existing restrictions that would impede relief donations in order to speed the delivery of aid. While the earthquake affected both Iran and Iraq, most of the casualties are on the Iranian side of the border. After earthquakes in 2003 and 2012, the United States demonstrated its compassion and goodwill by offering assistance to the Iranian people and allowing private relief donations. The administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama both temporarily waived sanctions, and the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued general licenses to simplify aid delivery. Under the Bush administration, an OFAC license authorized U.S. persons to provide cash donations to nongovernmental organizations, U.S. and non-U.S., assisting with relief efforts in Iran. At the time, OFAC also worked with aid organizations to clarify rules on donations of food and medicine and which Iranian entities could receive aid and eased banking constraints to ensure the timely receipt of donations in Iran. While we understand that a general license issued by OFAC in 2013 allows for U.S. nongovernment organization to deliver aid to Iran, we urge you make it easier for U.S. citizens to contribute to nongovernment organizations not based in the United States that are currently providing relief aid to earthquake victims in Iran. Despite decades of animosity and no formal diplomatic relations, the United States has routinely offered to help the Iranian people in times of need. This time should be no different. We ask that you direct the Department of State to assist in aid efforts and to coordinate such efforts with OFAC and other relevant agencies in order to ensure aid arrives quickly. Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your timely response. Sincerely, BERNARD SANDERS United States Senator ELIZABETH WARREN United States Senator AL FRANKEN United States Senator THOMAS CARPER United States Senator DIANNE FEINSTEIN United States Senator",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-statement-on-white-house-request-for-disaster-relief-funds,Sanders Statement on White House Request for Disaster Relief Funds,2017-11-17,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on White House Request for Disaster Relief Funds Friday, November 17, 2017 BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 17 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Friday after the White House asked Congress for $44 billion in additional disaster relief for areas ravaged by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria: ""The president’s request for supplemental appropriations for disaster relief is totally inadequate. While the president wants to provide the very richest people in this country hundreds of billions in tax relief, he is largely ignoring the needs of the communities that were devastated by the recent hurricanes. Two months after Hurricane Maria, the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are still suffering without electricity, clean water and other basic necessities. That is not acceptable. I will be releasing comprehensive legislation this month to address the short- and long-term needs of the people of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As a nation, we must stand with those communities that have been devastated by natural disasters.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-house-passage-of-republican-tax-plan,Sanders Statement on House Passage of Republican Tax Plan,2017-11-16,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on House Passage of Republican Tax Plan Thursday, November 16, 2017 WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Thursday after the House passed its version of the Republican tax overhaul: ""It is disappointing, but not surprising that the House Republicans just voted to give the Koch brothers and other billionaire campaign contributors a massive tax break. Under the House bill, the top 1 percent would get half of the tax benefits, while nearly half of middle class families would see their taxes go up. As bad as the House bill is, the Senate tax plan is even worse. It would raise taxes on all middle-class families making $75,000 or less by the end of the decade in order to provide permanent tax relief to profitable corporations that shift American jobs to China and American profits to the Cayman Islands. Meanwhile, it would throw 13 million Americans off of health insurance, cut Medicaid by $179 billion and substantially raise premiums on Americans throughout the country. This legislation must be defeated. We need tax relief for the middle class, not the billionaire class.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-sen-franken,Sanders Statement on Sen. Franken,2017-11-16,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Sen. Franken Thursday, November 16, 2017 BURLINGTON, Nov. 16 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released the following statement Thursday on Sen. Franken: “Sexual harassment is completely unacceptable. I agree with the calls for an Ethics Committee investigation into this deeply troubling incident.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-statement-on-house-passage-of-republican-tax-plan,Sanders Statement on House Passage of Republican Tax Plan,2017-11-16,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on House Passage of Republican Tax Plan Thursday, November 16, 2017 WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Thursday after the House passed its version of the Republican tax overhaul: ""It is disappointing, but not surprising that the House Republicans just voted to give the Koch brothers and other billionaire campaign contributors a massive tax break. Under the House bill, the top 1 percent would get half of the tax benefits, while nearly half of middle class families would see their taxes go up. As bad as the House bill is, the Senate tax plan is even worse. It would raise taxes on all middle-class families making $75,000 or less by the end of the decade in order to provide permanent tax relief to profitable corporations that shift American jobs to China and American profits to the Cayman Islands. Meanwhile, it would throw 13 million Americans off of health insurance, cut Medicaid by $179 billion and substantially raise premiums on Americans throughout the country. This legislation must be defeated. We need tax relief for the middle class, not the billionaire class.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/bernies-podcast/bernie-bonus-what-the-paradise-papers-reveal-111417,Bernie Bonus: What the Paradise Papers Reveal,2017-11-14,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"In this Bernie Bonus episode, Sen. Sanders breaks down how the Paradise Papers reveal a world rapidly moving toward international oligarchy, controlled by a tiny number of billionaires.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-hhs-secretary-nominee,Sanders Statement on HHS Secretary Nominee,2017-11-13,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on HHS Secretary Nominee Monday, November 13, 2017 WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement after President Donald Trump nominated Alex Azar to be secretary of health and human services: “At a time when the United States pays, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs, the last thing we need is to put a pharmaceutical executive in charge of the Department of Health and Human Services. The nomination of Alex Azar, the former head of Eli Lilly’s U.S. operations, shows that Trump was never serious about his promise to stop the pharmaceutical industry from ‘getting away with murder.’ “During Mr. Azar’s tenure at Eli Lilly, this multi-billion-dollar corporation dodged taxes while charging Americans outrageously high prices for life-saving prescription drugs. We need an HHS secretary who is willing to take on the greed of the pharmaceutical industry and lower prescription drug prices, not one who has financially benefitted from this greed. I will vigorously oppose this nomination.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-statement-on-hhs-secretary-nominee,Sanders Statement on HHS Secretary Nominee,2017-11-13,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on HHS Secretary Nominee Monday, November 13, 2017 WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement after President Donald Trump nominated Alex Azar to be secretary of health and human services: “At a time when the United States pays, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs, the last thing we need is to put a pharmaceutical executive in charge of the Department of Health and Human Services. The nomination of Alex Azar, the former head of Eli Lilly’s U.S. operations, shows that Trump was never serious about his promise to stop the pharmaceutical industry from ‘getting away with murder.’ “During Mr. Azar’s tenure at Eli Lilly, this multi-billion-dollar corporation dodged taxes while charging Americans outrageously high prices for life-saving prescription drugs. We need an HHS secretary who is willing to take on the greed of the pharmaceutical industry and lower prescription drug prices, not one who has financially benefitted from this greed. I will vigorously oppose this nomination.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-calls-on-trump-to-end-exploitation-of-truck-drivers,Sanders Calls on Trump to End Exploitation of Truck Drivers,2017-11-10,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Calls on Trump to End Exploitation of Truck Drivers Friday, November 10, 2017 BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 10 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called on President Donald Trump Friday to sign an executive order ending the exploitation and abuse of port truck drivers. Sanders’ request comes after he met with Los Angeles port truckers to discuss the exploitative labor practices exposed by USA Today. “The federal government should not be rewarding trucking companies that exploit and abuse their own workers,” Sanders wrote in a letter to Trump. “If you are serious about your support for our nation’s truck drivers, I would urge you to sign an executive order to deny government contracts and subcontracts for trucking companies that misclassify workers as independent contractors, force workers to lease the trucks they drive, and engage in other abusive labor practices.” “Truck drivers are the backbone of the American economy. They deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, not like modern-day indentured servants,” Sanders added. Trucking companies are misclassifying drivers as independent contractors, requiring them to lease their own trucks and trapping them in a viscous cycle of debt. Companies are using this debt as leverage to force drivers into working long hours for starvation wages. At the end of the month, some workers end up owing more on the lease than their paycheck is worth forcing them to essentially work for free. Sanders also called on Trump “to direct the Labor Department to conduct an audit of all federal contracts and subcontracts awarded to port trucking companies to ensure sure that they are in compliance with the prevailing wage and labor requirements of the McNamara - O’Hara Service Contract Act. Those companies that are not in compliance with our nation’s labor laws should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and required to pay back wages to their workers so that they receive all of the benefits they are legally entitled to receive.  Read Sanders’ letter here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-veterans-day-2017,Sanders Statement on Veterans Day,2017-11-10,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Veterans Day Friday, November 10, 2017 BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 10 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement regarding Veterans Day: ""To all the veterans of this country, we owe you a huge debt of gratitude. You put your lives on hold and on the line to protect our country. To their family members, you have served and sacrificed right alongside them, something I don’t think you get enough recognition for. And to those who lost a service member or veteran, either in conflict or as a result of their service, we may never fully understand your experience, but will do our best to make sure your loved one is never forgotten. ""While we set aside this particular day to recognize our veterans, I believe we must commit ourselves every day to keep America’s promise to them, just as they kept their promise to us. That means our veterans must have access to high quality health care, and we must fight to preserve, protect and improve the VA.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-calls-on-trump-to-end-exploitation-of-truck-drivers,Sanders Calls on Trump to End Exploitation of Truck Drivers,2017-11-10,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Calls on Trump to End Exploitation of Truck Drivers Friday, November 10, 2017 BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 10 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) called on President Donald Trump Friday to sign an executive order ending the exploitation and abuse of port truck drivers. Sanders’ request comes after he met with Los Angeles port truckers to discuss the exploitative labor practices exposed by USA Today. “The federal government should not be rewarding trucking companies that exploit and abuse their own workers,” Sanders wrote in a letter to Trump. “If you are serious about your support for our nation’s truck drivers, I would urge you to sign an executive order to deny government contracts and subcontracts for trucking companies that misclassify workers as independent contractors, force workers to lease the trucks they drive, and engage in other abusive labor practices.” “Truck drivers are the backbone of the American economy. They deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, not like modern-day indentured servants,” Sanders added. Trucking companies are misclassifying drivers as independent contractors, requiring them to lease their own trucks and trapping them in a viscous cycle of debt. Companies are using this debt as leverage to force drivers into working long hours for starvation wages. At the end of the month, some workers end up owing more on the lease than their paycheck is worth forcing them to essentially work for free. Sanders also called on Trump “to direct the Labor Department to conduct an audit of all federal contracts and subcontracts awarded to port trucking companies to ensure sure that they are in compliance with the prevailing wage and labor requirements of the McNamara - O’Hara Service Contract Act. Those companies that are not in compliance with our nation’s labor laws should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and required to pay back wages to their workers so that they receive all of the benefits they are legally entitled to receive.  Read Sanders’ letter here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-statement-on-veterans-day,Sanders Statement on Veterans Day,2017-11-10,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Veterans Day Friday, November 10, 2017 BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 10 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement regarding Veterans Day: ""To all the veterans of this country, we owe you a huge debt of gratitude. You put your lives on hold and on the line to protect our country. To their family members, you have served and sacrificed right alongside them, something I don’t think you get enough recognition for. And to those who lost a service member or veteran, either in conflict or as a result of their service, we may never fully understand your experience, but will do our best to make sure your loved one is never forgotten. ""While we set aside this particular day to recognize our veterans, I believe we must commit ourselves every day to keep America’s promise to them, just as they kept their promise to us. That means our veterans must have access to high quality health care, and we must fight to preserve, protect and improve the VA.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-announces-annual_state-of-the-union-essay-contest,Sanders Announces Annual State of the Union Essay Contest,2017-11-09,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Announces Annual State of the Union Essay Contest Thursday, November 9, 2017 BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 9 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) launched his eighth annual State of the Union essay contest Thursday, calling on Vermont’s high school students to address what they view as the major issues facing the United States. As the president prepares to give his State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress early next year, Sanders is inviting Vermont high school students to describe what they think are the most pressing issues facing the United States and what they would do to solve them. The 250-500 word essays can be on any issue of national importance. Sanders’ annual essay contest is an opportunity for Vermont high school students to articulate what issues they would prioritize if they were president. A panel of Vermont teachers will judge the essays and select a winner. The students’ political views have no impact on how the essays are judged. Essays are judged on the students’ ideas and arguments. The finalists will have their essays entered into the Congressional Record -- the official archive of the United States Senate and House of Representatives. Sanders will also hold a roundtable discussion with the finalists. “Our students are the future of our country and they must be involved in the discussion about where our nation needs to go,” said Sanders, who serves on the Senate education committee. “We need our students to be engaged, to help find solutions for the problems that face our country. That’s what democracy is all about.” Since Sanders first held his State of the Union essay contest, more than 3,000 students from schools throughout Vermont have written essays on a wide range of important issues such as the declining middle class, climate change, health care, the national debt, the rising cost of a college education, and many other issues. The deadline for student essay submissions is Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018. More information can be found on Sanders’ Senate webpage at http://www.sanders.senate.gov/stateoftheunion/, by calling (800) 339-9834 or emailing katarina_lisaius@sanders.senate.gov. Contact: Dan McLean (802) 862-6695",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-office-organizes-vermont-day_at-bostons-kennedy-institute,Sanders Office Organizes Vermont Day at Bostons Kennedy Institute,2017-11-08,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders’ Office Organizes ‘Vermont Day’ at Boston’s Kennedy Institute Wednesday, November 8, 2017 BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 8 – More than 100 students from four Vermont high schools traveled to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate on Wednesday as part of the first “Vermont Day” to learn about democracy, civic discourse and the legislative process. The trip, organized by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), enabled Vermont students to travel to the Kennedy Institute, which is located on the campus of the University of Massachusetts in Boston. Students from Poultney High School, Twinfield Union School, West Rutland School and Woodstock High School participated. The Vermont students took on the role of a senator for a day in a full-scale replica of the U.S. Senate chamber. The immersive experience includes researching public policy, introducing and debating legislation and working together to reach consensus. “At a time when many people feel alienated from the political process, and when voter participation is dangerously low, it is vitally important that we engage our youth to prepare them to be critical thinkers and future leaders,” Sanders said. “This trip is a small, but important step for Vermont students to do just that.” Terri Vest, who teaches at Twinfield Union School said, “Students in small, rural schools sometimes don't have an opportunity to have this type of experience. By creating a ‘Vermont Day’ for us, Senator Sanders has given my students the opportunity to engage with students from other schools. Learning about government and how it works is a critical part of our curriculum and has become more important as politics in America have become so divisive. This adventure in learning provides the opportunity for them to understand how complex lawmaking really is and how compromise is at the core of effective government.” Matt Olewnik, a social studies teacher at West Rutland School, said, “Our Vermont schools are moving curriculum toward a student-centered model, where learning is blended, authentic, and student and inquiry driven. Immersive experiences like this fit nicely into that model.” Sanders, who serves on the Senate education committee, gave the keynote speech at the Kennedy Institute’s first anniversary last year. “I was very impressed with the hands-on civics taught to visiting students and I discussed with the president of the Institute the possibility of organizing Vermont high school students to come down to participate in the innovative programming they have to offer,” Sanders said, explaining the origins of “Vermont Day.” The bipartisan Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate “is dedicated to educating the public about the important role of the Senate in our government, encouraging participatory democracy, invigorating civil discourse, and inspiring the next generation of citizens and leaders to engage in the civic life of their communities,” according to its website. Sanders is organizing another trip to the Kennedy Institute for Vermont students in March 2018. Schools and students that are interested in participating can contact his Burlington office at 1-800-339-9834. To view pictures from ""Vermont Day,"" click here. Contact: Dan McLean, 802-862-6695",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/a-tale-of-two-cancers,A Tale of Two Cancers,2017-11-08,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"A Tale of Two Cancers Two sisters, both diagnosed with breast cancer. Catherine, a Canadian, focused on getting well, while her American sister received mounting medical bills. Catherine and Karen both recovered, but their experiences were worlds apart. Read their story here: http://www.ucobserver.org/faith/2017/10/two_cancers/",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-calls-for-investigation-into-paradise-papers-findings,Sanders Calls for Investigation into Paradise Papers Findings,2017-11-07,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Calls for Investigation into Paradise Papers Findings Tuesday, November 7, 2017 WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, on Tuesday called on Congress to conduct an investigation into the offshore tax dodging uncovered by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in the “Paradise Papers."" In a letter to Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Sanders urged the Budget Committee to investigate how much offshore tax evasion has contributed to the $20 trillion national debt. ""The offshore tax dodging uncovered by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) in the 'Paradise Papers' raise serious questions about the integrity of our tax system and the ability of the top 1 percent to rig it in order to benefit themselves at the expense of everyone else,"" Sanders wrote in the letter. ""Before the Senate considers tax reform we must fully investigate offshore tax haven abuse and come up with legislative solutions to prevent the wealthiest people and most profitable corporations in America from dodging U.S. taxes."" The Paradise Papers – a leak of over 13 million files – reveal how corporations, billionaires and senior officials in the Trump Administration use complicated financial maneuvers to hide their income from the Internal Revenue Service. According to ICIJ, more than 30,000 people in the United States hide money offshore to avoid paying U.S. taxes. It has been estimated that wealthy individuals and profitable corporations in the U.S. are avoiding more than $166 billion in taxes every year by stashing their cash in the Cayman Islands and other offshore tax havens. To read Sanders' letter, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-calls-for-investigation-into-paradise-papers-findings,Sanders Calls for Investigation into Paradise Papers Findings,2017-11-07,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Calls for Investigation into Paradise Papers Findings Tuesday, November 7, 2017 WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, on Tuesday called on Congress to conduct an investigation into the offshore tax dodging uncovered by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in the “Paradise Papers."" In a letter to Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Sanders urged the Budget Committee to investigate how much offshore tax evasion has contributed to the $20 trillion national debt. ""The offshore tax dodging uncovered by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) in the 'Paradise Papers' raise serious questions about the integrity of our tax system and the ability of the top 1 percent to rig it in order to benefit themselves at the expense of everyone else,"" Sanders wrote in the letter. ""Before the Senate considers tax reform we must fully investigate offshore tax haven abuse and come up with legislative solutions to prevent the wealthiest people and most profitable corporations in America from dodging U.S. taxes."" The Paradise Papers – a leak of over 13 million files – reveal how corporations, billionaires and senior officials in the Trump Administration use complicated financial maneuvers to hide their income from the Internal Revenue Service. According to ICIJ, more than 30,000 people in the United States hide money offshore to avoid paying U.S. taxes. It has been estimated that wealthy individuals and profitable corporations in the U.S. are avoiding more than $166 billion in taxes every year by stashing their cash in the Cayman Islands and other offshore tax havens. To read Sanders' letter, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-gop-tax-plan,Sanders Statement on GOP Tax Plan,2017-11-02,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on GOP Tax Plan Thursday, November 2, 2017 WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Thursday after House Republicans released tax reform legislation: ""Donald Trump is labeling the disastrous Republican tax bill as the 'Cut, Cut, Cut Act' and he is right. At a time of massive wealth and income inequality, this bill would cut taxes for billionaires by repealing the estate tax. When corporations are making record-breaking profits, this bill would slash taxes for companies that are shifting American jobs to China and profits to the Cayman Islands. And if this bill passes it would blow a giant hole in the deficit, forcing massive cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. ""Just as we defeated the Republican health care bill, our job now is to bring people together to defeat this disastrous tax bill and to create an economy and government that works for all of us, not just the 1 percent.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-statement-on-gop-tax-plan,Sanders Statement on GOP Tax Plan,2017-11-02,2017,2017-11,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on GOP Tax Plan Thursday, November 2, 2017 WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Thursday after House Republicans released tax reform legislation: ""Donald Trump is labeling the disastrous Republican tax bill as the 'Cut, Cut, Cut Act' and he is right. At a time of massive wealth and income inequality, this bill would cut taxes for billionaires by repealing the estate tax. When corporations are making record-breaking profits, this bill would slash taxes for companies that are shifting American jobs to China and profits to the Cayman Islands. And if this bill passes it would blow a giant hole in the deficit, forcing massive cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. ""Just as we defeated the Republican health care bill, our job now is to bring people together to defeat this disastrous tax bill and to create an economy and government that works for all of us, not just the 1 percent.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/new-bill-no-war-in-north-korea-without-congressional-authorization,New Bill: No War in North Korea Without Congressional Authorization,2017-10-31,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"New Bill: No War in North Korea Without Congressional Authorization Tuesday, October 31, 2017 WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Tuesday led U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) in introducing a bill prohibiting President Trump from starting a preemptive war against North Korea, absent an imminent threat or without express authorization from Congress. The bill, introduced amidst the escalation of irresponsible rhetoric and contradictory behavior from President Trump and officials in his administration, prohibits funds from being used for kinetic military operations without Congressional approval unless the United States faces an imminent threat or such action is necessary to defend citizens or our allies.  The full text of the bill is available here.   “We need to take the president seriously when he threatens war, because the dam could break at any moment. Republican and Democratic Senators are alarmed over the path we’re on, and it’s important we join forces to reclaim Congress’ constitutional role in matters of war and peace before there’s no turning back,” said Senator Murphy. “This bill shouldn’t be controversial since it essentially restates current law, but Congress needs to make it crystal clear that the President does not have the authority to take preemptive military action in North Korea without congressional consent."" “A preemptive strike against North Korea could be catastrophic for the nearly 80,000 American servicemembers who are stationed in the region and for the tens of millions of innocent human beings who live on the Korean Peninsula,” said combat Veteran and Senator Duckworth. “We need our nation’s Commander-in-Chief to show a steady hand and sound judgement, not to engage in irresponsible and dangerous verbal attacks that only serve to escalate an already dangerous situation and put American lives at risk. As the drums of war beat louder each day in both the White House and the Pentagon, I am proud to stand alongside Senators Murphy, Booker, Schatz and Sanders to ensure those in power understand the true costs of war – not just in dollars and cents but in human lives – before they consider starting a conflict that could lead to widespread devastation.” “Our bill makes it clear that the president does not have the authority to engage in preventive war without approval from Congress, and it goes so far as to tie the purse strings so that the president will have to ask for Congressional approval before taking any preventive action, ” said Senator Schatz. “I want to emphasize what this bill does not do. It does not limit the ability of the United States to protect our allies. Japan, South Korea, and every other ally of the United States should rest assured that we stand with them, and we will have their backs.” “At a time when President Trump’s rhetoric is growing increasingly belligerent and his foreign policy decisions are becoming even more erratic, this bill reaffirms Congress’ authority and provides a critical safeguard to help keep the President from launching the United States and our servicemen and servicewomen into a pre-emptive war of untold magnitude and destruction,” said Senator Booker. “This important legislation clarifies that the President’s authority to defend the United States from an imminent threat or attack cannot be stretched to include starting an unprovoked war with North Korea.” Senator Sanders said, “Clearly we have got to do everything that we can to prevent a nuclear war which will likely cost the lives of millions and millions of people. Congress has an enormously important oversight responsibility in matters of war, and this legislation blocking a preemptive strike against North Korea is an appropriate step in fulfilling that responsibility.”  “The President’s erratic, blustering approach to North Korea has created a huge risk of stumbling into a disastrous war,” said Senator Merkley. “A preemptive strike on North Korea would immediately be met by retaliation that could kill tens of thousands of South Koreans as well as many Americans within hours. This outcome is unacceptable. We need to make sure that Congress exercises its constitutional responsibilities to prevent profound and destructive misjudgments.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-calls-for-reversing-social-security-cuts-to-improve-deteriorating-customer-service,Sanders Calls for Reversing Social Security Cuts to Improve Deteriorating Customer Service,2017-10-31,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Calls for Reversing Social Security Cuts to Improve Deteriorating Customer Service Tuesday, October 31, 2017 BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 31 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Tuesday called on Congress to reverse deep budget cuts that have left Social Security Administration offices understaffed and unable to keep up with growing caseloads. In a letter to U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), who chairs the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Sanders said, “Social Security is one of the most successful government programs in our nation’s history, and we must not undermine it by underfunding routine operations.” Sanders said his office has heard from many Vermonters who have expressed frustration that claims, appeals and even routine inquiries are taking longer to process, sometimes causing significant financial hardship. “The constituent caseworkers in my Vermont district office are receiving an increasing number of Social Security related cases, and many involve concerns about client service. One Vermonter was on hold for 80 minutes with a local field office, and disconnected several times, before getting through to a live person. Others have had to wait many months for the agency to correct relatively simple payment issues,” Sanders wrote. Since 2010, Congress has cut Social Security’s operating budget by 16 percent in inflated-adjusted dollars. Senate Republicans want to cut it by another 4 percent next year.  Nationally, these budget cuts have resulted in the loss of more than 10,000 employees, the closing of 64 field offices and reduced hours in many others.  In Vermont, one field office has seen staffing fall by almost 30 percent.  Over the same period, Sanders wrote, “the number of people receiving old age and survivors benefits increased by 17 percent, and disability insurance beneficiaries increased by 5 percent.”  “The simple fact is that fewer staff are being asked to do more work, and this is having a serious impact on worker morale and customer service,” Sanders wrote.   Nationally, it is taking much longer for people to get routine appointments at Social Security field offices. It is also harder to get through to SSA’s toll-free hotline, and nearly half of all callers last year hung-up before connecting because they were on hold for so long. It is also taking longer to make decisions on applications for disability benefits.  Sanders said the amount requested for Social Security operational funding would “bring staffing back up to a level needed to provide adequate customer service for the tens of millions of Americans who routinely communicate with and depend on the agency.” These funds support core administrative activities including processing retirement and disability claims, conducting  hearings to review disability determination appeals, issuing Social  Security numbers and cards and processing individuals’ annual earnings information. To read Sanders’ letter, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-special-counsel-indictments,Sanders Statement on Special Counsel Indictments,2017-10-30,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Special Counsel Indictments Monday, October 30, 2017 NEW YORK, Oct. 30 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Monday after President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and a former Manafort business associate, Rick Gates, were indicted: “Russia’s interference in our recent election and their attack on American democracy is an issue of enormous consequence. Special Counsel Mueller, appointed with bipartisan support, is proceeding with his investigation into the relationship between the Trump campaign and Russian interests. President Trump must not, in any way, try to derail or obstruct this effort.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-statement-on-special-counsel-indictments,Sanders Statement on Special Counsel Indictments,2017-10-30,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Special Counsel Indictments Monday, October 30, 2017 NEW YORK, Oct. 30 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Monday after President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and a former Manafort business associate, Rick Gates, were indicted: “Russia’s interference in our recent election and their attack on American democracy is an issue of enormous consequence. Special Counsel Mueller, appointed with bipartisan support, is proceeding with his investigation into the relationship between the Trump campaign and Russian interests. President Trump must not, in any way, try to derail or obstruct this effort.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/top-dems-introduce-bill-to-allow-hhs-to-negotiate-lower-drug-prices-for-medicare,Top Dems Introduce Bill to Allow HHS to Negotiate Lower Drug Prices for Medicare,2017-10-25,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Top Dems Introduce Bill to Allow HHS to Negotiate Lower Drug Prices for Medicare President Claims He Supports Idea, But Has Failed to Make Good on Campaign Promise Wednesday, October 25, 2017 WASHINGTON,  Oct. 25 —Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Tx.), and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) introduced The Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2017 to direct the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs under Medicare Part D—a proposal that President Donald Trump said he backs and that 92% of the American people support. Ranking Member Cummings:  “Before and after the election, President Trump said over and over again that drug companies were ‘getting away with murder’ and that he wanted to give the government authority to negotiate lower drug prices. That’s what our bill does. I know there have been a lot of distractions with the President—a LOT of distractions. But this is what the American people want us to be working on.  They are sick of the tweeting, the insults, the infighting, and all the rest of it. They want us to work together to lower drug prices, and they want action now. We are doing our part. We hope President Trump will do his.” Senator Sanders: “While drug corporations make extraordinary profits, our people are dying and becoming sicker than they should because of outrageously high prices for the medicine that they need. This is unacceptable. It’s time for President Trump to follow through on his promises to the American people. We must join the rest of the industrialized world by implementing prescription drug policies that work for everybody, not just the CEOs of the pharmaceutical industry.” Rep. Doggett: “Drug pricing in America is a tangled mess, a knot that will take more than one cut to pull apart. Harnessing the purchasing power of Medicare and negotiating better deals for drugs through a process similar to that already available for our veterans is a significant first cut at the knot. Sick patients are sick and tired of seeing Congress do nothing about a problem that affects so many.” Rep. Welch: “Putting the federal government's purchasing power to work to save seniors and the taxpayer money is simply common sense. The fact that we continue to pay retail rates for wholesale purchases is a ridiculous. It's long past time we put an end this sweetheart deal for big Pharma. If President Trump is serious about his support for this proposal, I’m ready to work with him to provide urgently needed relief to consumers and taxpayers.” President Trump has warned that the pharmaceutical industry is “getting away with murder,” has criticized“outrageous” drug prices, and has pledged to create a “fair and competitive bidding process” that would result in prices “coming way, way, way down.”  As recently as last week, he acknowledged again that “massive” spending and lobbying by the pharmaceutical industry have driven drug prices “through the roof.” The Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2017 would finally turn this rhetoric into law by allowing the government to negotiate directly with drug companies to lower prices for Medicare beneficiaries, much like the VA and Medicaid do today. Current law prohibits the Secretary of HHS from negotiating directly for lower prices in Medicare, even though Medicare paid for 29% of retail drug costs in 2015.  Since Medicaid and VA are allowed to negotiate, Medicare Part D pays, on average, 73% more than Medicaid and 80% more than VA for brand-name drugs.  The federal government could save between $15.2 billion and $16 billion a year if Medicare Part D paid the same prices as Medicaid or VA. The legislation would leverage the purchasing power of the government by using formularies to enhance competition and establish a fallback price—based on what other federal agencies and foreign countries pay—to kick in automatically if negotiations are unsuccessful. It also would preserve critical protections for patient access and strengthen patient appeals processes for Part D plans. Finally, the legislation would restore rebates on drugs covered under Part D for low-income beneficiaries, which were eliminated when Part D was created.  According to the Congressional Budget Office, restoring these rebates for brand-name drugs alone would save taxpayers $145 billion over ten years.   This bill is cosponsored by Sens. Reed, Gillibrand, Harris, and Al Franken, and Reps. Pocan, Higgins, Ellison, Schakowsky, Kaptur, Norton, Jayapal, Cohen, Gabbard, Grijalva, Nadler, Raskin, and DeLauro.  This bill is endorsed by the Alliance for Retired Americans, American Federation of Teachers, the Center for Medicare Advocacy, CREDO, Doctors for America, the Economic Policy Institute Policy Center, Families USA, Knowledge Ecology International, Medicare Rights Center, MoveOn, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, Patients for Affordable Drugs, Prescription Justice, Public Citizen, Social Security Works, and The Senior Citizens League. Also today, Ranking Member Cummings and Rep. Welch sent a letter to President Trump expressing their “profound disappointment” that the President failed to work with them in any way after they went to the White House at the President’s invitation in March, personally presented him with a draft of the bill, and asked for his endorsement and any feedback he had on the proposal.  Their letter today followed two previous letters they sent to the President onApril 20, 2017 and June 21, 2017 seeking to work together in a bipartisan manner.  The President failed to respond to either of those previous letter as well.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/minimum-wage-too-low-to-keep-working-families-out-of-poverty-new-report-finds,"Minimum Wage Too Low to Keep Working Families Out of Poverty, New Report Finds",2017-10-23,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Minimum Wage Too Low to Keep Working Families Out of Poverty, New Report Finds Monday, October 23, 2017 WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 – The federal minimum wage is leaving millions of families in poverty, according to a new study prepared by the Government Accountability Office for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). While 20 percent of working families earning the $7.25 minimum wage or below live in poverty, 13 percent of families with a worker earning up to $12 per hour live in poverty and 5 percent of families of with a worker earning up to $16 per hour live in poverty. Sanders has called for legislation to increase the federal minimum wage to a living wage of $15 per hour. ""As this new report shows, $7.25 minimum wage is a starvation wage that is not enough to keep working families out of poverty."" Sanders said. ""The United States Congress must raise the minimum wage to a living wage: $15 an hour."" Thirty Senate Democrats have signed onto the bill introduced by Sens. Sanders and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), which would raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2024 and would be indexed to inflation thereafter. The federal minimum wage has not been raised since 2009.  The GAO found that higher wages were associated with lower poverty rates. Low-wage workers – those earning $16 per hour or less – comprise about 40 percent of the U.S. workforce aged 25 to 64. Millions of these working families and their children are living in poverty as a result of low wages. In 2016, nearly half (48 percent) of single-parent families with a minimum wage worker were living in poverty. In families where the single parent was earning between $12 to $16 per hour, the poverty rates dropped from 48 percent to 17 percent. Five industries consistently employ the majority (70 percent) of low-wage workers – leisure and hospitality, education and health, professional and business services, wholesale and retail trade and manufacturing. The highest concentration of low-wage workers is in the health and education industry with an estimated 22 to 25 percent of workers. The report found that an average worker earning the minimum wage or below had annual earnings of $12,441 and may qualify for programs such as Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Additional Child Tax Credit. However, given the very low income eligibility thresholds for some safety net programs, low-wage workers – even those earning the minimum wage and living in poverty – may earn too much to qualify.  “The gap between the richest Americans and everyone else is wider than at any time since the 1920s,” Sanders said. “Instead of giving huge tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires, we must invest in critical programs that help working families make ends meet and lift millions of Americans out of poverty.""  The GAO’s study noted that the growing divide between the top 1 percent and everyone else is not only due to wage stagnation among low-wage workers, but in fact attributable to skyrocketing wealth among high earners. “Recent studies have found that while average wages experienced little or no change from 1973 through 2011 (when held in constant 2011 dollars), income inequality increased as a direct result of income growth among high-wage workers,” the GAO wrote. Other key findings in the report include: Only 5 percent or less of families with a low-wage worker received TANF cash assistance at least once in the last year between 1995 and 2016. In 2016, most single-parent families (82 percent) with a minimum wage earner lived below 200 percent of the federal poverty line. In 2016, 37 percent of all families with a minimum wage earner lived below 200 percent of the federal poverty line. Twenty-four percent of all families earning between $12 to $16 per hour lived below 200 percent of the federal poverty line.  A hypothetical low-wage worker ages 25 to 64: earning $7.25 per hour or less would have annual earnings of $12,441 – making them eligible for Medicaid, SNAP, EITC and ACTC earning $7.25 to $12 per hour would have annual earnings of $20,592 – making them eligible for Medicaid, SNAP, EITC and ACTC earning $12 to $16 per hour would have annual earnings of $30,784 – making them eligible for EITC and ACTC The percent of workers earning $12 to $16 per hour with college degrees increased from 16 percent in 1995 to 22 percent in 2016. Read the report here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-new-373000-cancer-therapy,"Sanders Statement on New $373,000 Cancer Therapy",2017-10-19,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on New $373,000 Cancer Therapy Thursday, October 19, 2017 WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Thursday after the pharmaceutical company Gilead said the list price for the cancer drug Yescarta would be $373,000: “Gilead, one of the greediest pharmaceutical corporations in the world, is once again gouging Americans dealing with a life-threatening illness. This time, Gilead plans to charge an outrageous $373,000 per patient for a life-saving cancer drug developed with taxpayer money. What good does a breakthrough medication do if no one can afford it? No one in America should die because they cannot afford the cost of the medication they need, yet that is exactly what will happen if we continue to allow Gilead and other pharmaceutical corporations to charge whatever price they want. “The pharmaceutical industry’s greed must end. It’s time for Congress and President Trump – who has spoken often about drug makers ‘getting away with murder’ – to take action to lower the cost of prescription drugs in America.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-to-visit-puerto-rico-thanks-womens-convention,"Sanders to Visit Puerto Rico, Thanks Women's Convention",2017-10-19,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders to Visit Puerto Rico, Thanks Women's Convention Thursday, October 19, 2017 WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Thursday: “I want to apologize to the organizers of the Women’s Convention for not being able to attend your conference next Friday in Detroit. Given the emergency situation in Puerto Rico, I will be traveling there to visit with San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz and other officials to determine the best way forward to deal with the devastation the island is experiencing. The U.S. Congress cannot turn its back on the millions of people in Puerto Rico who, four weeks after the hurricane, are still without electricity, food and running water.   “Congratulations to the board of the Women's March – Tamika Mallory, Bob Bland, Linda Sarsour, Carmen Perez, Janaye Ingram, Breanne Butler – along with thousands of other women leaders for their historic work in putting together the march in January and all that you have done since. My best wishes for a very successful conference.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-statement-on-new-373000-cancer-therapy,"Sanders Statement on New $373,000 Cancer Therapy",2017-10-19,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on New $373,000 Cancer Therapy Thursday, October 19, 2017 WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Thursday after the pharmaceutical company Gilead said the list price for the cancer drug Yescarta would be $373,000: “Gilead, one of the greediest pharmaceutical corporations in the world, is once again gouging Americans dealing with a life-threatening illness. This time, Gilead plans to charge an outrageous $373,000 per patient for a life-saving cancer drug developed with taxpayer money. What good does a breakthrough medication do if no one can afford it? No one in America should die because they cannot afford the cost of the medication they need, yet that is exactly what will happen if we continue to allow Gilead and other pharmaceutical corporations to charge whatever price they want. “The pharmaceutical industry’s greed must end. It’s time for Congress and President Trump – who has spoken often about drug makers ‘getting away with murder’ – to take action to lower the cost of prescription drugs in America.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-stabenow-and-casey-introduce-amendment-to-prevent-republicans-from-cutting-medicaid,"Sanders, Stabenow and Casey Introduce Amendment to Prevent Republicans from Cutting Medicaid",2017-10-18,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders, Stabenow and Casey Introduce Amendment to Prevent Republicans from Cutting Medicaid Wednesday, October 18, 2017 WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 – Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) will introduce Wednesday the first Democratic amendment to Senate Republicans' fiscal year 2018 budget resolution. The amendment would prevent Republicans from enacting their plan to cut Medicaid by $1 trillion in order to give a $1.9 trillion tax break to the top 1 percent. The amendment would be fully paid for by stopping Republicans from giving the wealthiest people in America another tax break. Sanders, Stabenow and Casey’s amendment, which will come up for a vote at 3 p.m. today, would protect the more than 30 million children, 11 million individuals with disabilities, 7 million seniors and 1.7 million veterans who rely on Medicaid. “What does it mean if you have constituents who are suffering today with cancer, heart disease, asthma or diabetes, and they have Medicaid taken away from them? What happens to them when they cannot afford to go to the doctor when they are sick or buy the medicine that they need?” asked Sanders. “If 15 million Americans lose Medicaid and are thrown off of health insurance, many thousands of our fellow Americans will die and many more will suffer and become much sicker than they should.” “Millions of children, families, seniors and people with disabilities in Michigan rely on Medicaid for their health care needs. In fact, three out of five seniors in nursing homes in Michigan receive health coverage through Medicaid. It is outrageous that Republicans are proposing a $1 trillion cut to these vital services in order to fund a tax break for the top 1 percent,” said Stabenow. “Cutting Medicaid to fund tax giveaways to the super-rich is wrong,” said Casey. “Betraying working families, people with disabilities and families paying for nursing care for loved ones to fund tax giveaways to the wealthiest must be stopped, which is what this amendment will do. This amendment is a simple choice between the promise of Medicaid and obscene tax cuts for the super-rich.” Poll after poll shows the American people do not want to see cuts to Medicaid or tax breaks for billionaires.  Nearly 70 percent of Americans oppose slashing Medicaid, according to a recent poll from PRRI. A recent Wall Street Journal/NBC poll found that only 12 percent of the American people believe the wealthy should receive a tax cut; while 62 percent believe the wealthy should pay more in taxes. Read the text of the amendment here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-stabenow-and-casey-introduce-amendment-to-prevent-republicans-from-cutting-medicaid,"Sanders, Stabenow and Casey Introduce Amendment to Prevent Republicans from Cutting Medicaid",2017-10-18,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders, Stabenow and Casey Introduce Amendment to Prevent Republicans from Cutting Medicaid Wednesday, October 18, 2017 WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 – Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) will introduce Wednesday the first Democratic amendment to Senate Republicans' fiscal year 2018 budget resolution. The amendment would prevent Republicans from enacting their plan to cut Medicaid by $1 trillion in order to give a $1.9 trillion tax break to the top 1 percent. The amendment would be fully paid for by stopping Republicans from giving the wealthiest people in America another tax break. Sanders, Stabenow and Casey’s amendment, which will come up for a vote at 3 p.m. today, would protect the more than 30 million children, 11 million individuals with disabilities, 7 million seniors and 1.7 million veterans who rely on Medicaid. “What does it mean if you have constituents who are suffering today with cancer, heart disease, asthma or diabetes, and they have Medicaid taken away from them? What happens to them when they cannot afford to go to the doctor when they are sick or buy the medicine that they need?” asked Sanders. “If 15 million Americans lose Medicaid and are thrown off of health insurance, many thousands of our fellow Americans will die and many more will suffer and become much sicker than they should.” “Millions of children, families, seniors and people with disabilities in Michigan rely on Medicaid for their health care needs. In fact, three out of five seniors in nursing homes in Michigan receive health coverage through Medicaid. It is outrageous that Republicans are proposing a $1 trillion cut to these vital services in order to fund a tax break for the top 1 percent,” said Stabenow. “Cutting Medicaid to fund tax giveaways to the super-rich is wrong,” said Casey. “Betraying working families, people with disabilities and families paying for nursing care for loved ones to fund tax giveaways to the wealthiest must be stopped, which is what this amendment will do. This amendment is a simple choice between the promise of Medicaid and obscene tax cuts for the super-rich.” Poll after poll shows the American people do not want to see cuts to Medicaid or tax breaks for billionaires.  Nearly 70 percent of Americans oppose slashing Medicaid, according to a recent poll from PRRI. A recent Wall Street Journal/NBC poll found that only 12 percent of the American people believe the wealthy should receive a tax cut; while 62 percent believe the wealthy should pay more in taxes. Read the text of the amendment here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/vermont-viewpoint-bill-pearson,Vermont Viewpoint: Bill Pearson,2017-10-18,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Vermont Viewpoint: Bill Pearson Vermont Viewpoint: Bill Pearson of Brattleboro, Vermont, states: “In this country, we don’t have adequate health care. See Video on YouTube Tweet Copy Link",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/video-audio/vermont-voices-michael-castelli-of-middlebury-vermont,"Vermont Voices: Michael Castelli of Middlebury, Vermont",2017-10-18,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Vermont Voices: Michael Castelli of Middlebury, Vermont Vermont Viewpoint: “We should not have to spend large portions of our income in order to have access to health care – only to pay on top that in the form of co-pays, deductibles, coinsurances and other out-of-pocket expenses,” said Michael Castelli of Middlebury, Vermont, who expressed his support of Bernie’s Medicare-for-all legislation.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-responds-to-trumps-iran-deal-announcement,Sanders Responds to Trump's Iran Deal Announcement,2017-10-13,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Responds to Trump's Iran Deal Announcement Friday, October 13, 2017 BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 13 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Friday after President Donald Trump disavowed the international nuclear deal with Iran and declared his intention not to certify Iran’s compliance with the agreement: ""President Trump’s speech today was the latest in a series of rash and reckless moves that make Americans less safe. By refusing to re-certify the Iran nuclear agreement, President Trump ignored the public statements of his own national security officials. Last week, Joint Chiefs Chairman Dunford  and Secretary of Defense Mattis affirmed to the Senate Armed Services Committee that Iran is meeting its commitments under the agreement and that staying in the agreement is in the national security interests of the United States. ""Trump’s decision also isolates the United States from some of its most important allies. France, the U.K. and Germany all continue to support the agreement and have consistently said that it is in their own national security interests. ""Breaking the Iran agreement would not only free Iran from the limits placed on its nuclear program, it would irreparably harm America’s ability to negotiate future nonproliferation agreements. Why would any country in the world sign such an agreement with the United States if they knew that a reckless president might simply discard that agreement a few years later? ""If we are genuinely concerned with Iran’s behavior in the region, as I am, the worst possible thing we could do is undermine this nuclear deal. It would make addressing all of these other problems harder. Unfortunately, I heard no strategy from Trump today, just a lot of bluster.  ""Ultimately we must seek a better relationship with the Iranian people and a more constructive role for Iran in the region. Trump’s bellicose rhetoric today made achieving those things harder. It will alienate Iran’s people and strengthen the regime’s hardliners, who are much more comfortable dealing with a hostile America than with a reasonable, peace-seeking one.   ""Now that this decision has been put in Congress’ hands, it’s up to us to stop this drift toward war. We should listen to what virtually the entire national security community is saying – that this deal is working – and protect it.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-trumps-health-care-executive-orders,Sanders Statement on Trump's Health Care Executive Orders,2017-10-13,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Trump's Health Care Executive Orders Friday, October 13, 2017 BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 13 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Friday after President Donald Trump halted cost-sharing reductions that help pay out-of-pocket health care costs of low-income people and ordered potentially sweeping changes in the nation’s insurance system, including sales of cheaper policies with fewer benefits and fewer protections for consumers: ""Amazingly, we have a president who is trying to destroy the American health care system. At a time when millions of Americans remain uninsured or underinsured, President Trump’s decision to sabotage the Affordable Care Act will substantially raise health care costs for the American people and lead to lower quality coverage. Trump’s action is clear proof that he was never interested in improving health care. His only goal has been to destroy the Affordable Care Act.  ""Trump’s decision means that in Vermont, 12,000 people will be impacted and the state will lose $12 million of federal support. ""The American people deserve better. Now is the time to go forward – not backward. Short term, Congress must work to improve the Affordable Care Act to lower costs, insure more people and reduce the price of prescription drugs. Long term, we must go forward and join nearly every other major country by guaranteeing health care as a right through a Medicare-for-all program.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-visits-solar-regional-testing-center,Sanders Visits Solar Regional Testing Center,2017-10-12,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WILLISTON, Vt., Oct. 12 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) applauded the “cutting-edge role Vermont is playing in researching, testing and deploying solar energy,” during a visit to the U.S. Department of Energy’s solar testing site in Williston on Thursday morning. The Vermont Regional Test Center (RTC) is one of five such facilities in the United States that give manufacturers of solar technologies the opportunity to test the performance and reliability of their products in real-world conditions. The RTCs are funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and are managed by Sandia National Laboratories. Sanders helped secure $3 million in 2013 from the Energy Department’s SunShot Initiative to create the Vermont solar testing site specifically to study the effectiveness of different solar technologies in a cold and wet climate. The Vermont site is located on land owned by Global Foundries, who Sanders thanked for its continued commitment to the project. “This facility, in a very short time, has become the most successful RTC in the country,” Sanders said. “We now have 15 installations, 24 module types, and 11 industry partners – including three Vermont companies.” The three Vermont companies are AllEarth Renewables, Norwich Technologies, and NRG Systems. Laurie Burnham of Sandia National Laboratories explained that the Regional Test Center employs state-of-the-art data collection and analysis to assess the performance of different solar technologies, in different weather conditions.     Josh Castonguay, Green Mountain Power’s chief innovation executive, said the electric utility is committed to helping transform our energy system, and efforts like the RTC were critically important in that effort. “There has been a lot of momentum. This is an exciting time,” he said.  Sanders also said that the recent surge in solar investment is “creating good-paying jobs that our economy needs,” and noted that Vermont ranks second in the nation for solar jobs per capita.  And, he said, solar energy is saving Vermonters money. “Last summer, on a particularly hot day, a new advanced solar and battery system in Rutland saved Green Mountain Power customers $200,000 in just one hour by reducing peak power demand.” Sanders also criticized the Trump administration, which took steps to repeal the Clean Power Plan this week, for its refusal to even acknowledge the reality of climate change. “Despite what President Trump and this Administration may think, climate change is real, climate change is caused by human activity and climate change is already causing devastating problems in our country and around the world.  Just ask the people of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Texas or Florida who have experienced enormous damage due to recent ferocious storms that were exacerbated by warmer air holding more water vapor,” Sanders said. “The very good news,” Sanders said, “is that communities all across this country are moving toward energy efficiency and renewable energy. Total investment in renewables last year was double the investment in fossil fuels. President Trump talks about bringing back coal. It’s not going to happen. This is the future.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-trumps-harrisburg-speech,Sanders Statement on Trump's Harrisburg Speech,2017-10-11,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Trump's Harrisburg Speech Wednesday, October 11, 2017 BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 11 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released the following statement ahead of President Donald Trump's speech on tax reform in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: ""Donald Trump is going to Pennsylvania to tell truck drivers how his tax plan will benefit them. Unfortunately, once again, the president is lying. ""His tax plan, based on the widely discredited theory of 'trickle down economics,' will provide virtually no benefit to truck drivers and will result in a tax increase for tens of millions of middle class Americans. It is designed to benefit the wealthiest people and the largest and most profitable corporations in this country. ""Nearly 80 percent of the tax benefits in Trump’s plan will go to the top 1 percent and 40 percent of the benefits will go to the top 0.1 percent by the end of the decade, according to the non-partisan Tax Policy Center. Further, as part of Trump’s overall budget, this huge tax gift to millionaires and billionaires will result in a $1 trillion dollar cut to Medicaid and a $473 billion cut to Medicare, in addition to massive cuts to education, nutrition and the needs of children, the elderly and the environment. ""Trump’s tax plan and his budget is the Robin Hood principle in reverse. He takes from the poor and working families of this country in order to give to the very rich. This disastrous proposal must be defeated.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/bernies-podcast/episode-11-chuck-collins-100417,Episode 11: Chuck Collins,2017-10-04,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Chuck Collins, Director of the Institute for Policy Studies' Program on Inequality and the Common Good, joined Sen. Sanders to discuss the worrying growth of income and wealth inequality and how we can create a more equal society.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/100417,October 4,2017-10-04,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"October 4 Wednesday, October 4, 2017 Senate Budget Slashes Medicare, Medicaid Senate Republicans are proposing to slash Medicare spending by $473 billion over a decade, once again diverging from one of President Donald Trump’s key campaign promises, according to Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee. The panel’s minority party staff, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders, published the figure in a five-page report, Politico reported. Randall Woodfin Elected Birmingham Mayor Progressive challenger Randall Woodfin on Tuesday unseated William Bell, the mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, in a nonpartisan runoff election. Woodfin’s win is a coup for national progressive groups that backed him, including the Working Families Party and Our Revolution, the legacy organization of Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign. Sanders personally endorsed Woodfin and recorded a robocall for him on Monday, The Huffington Post, WBHM and The Intercept reported.  Sanders Emotional Learning About WWII Relative Sanders recently choked up after he learned that one of his relatives died while fighting the Nazis during World War II. The Jewish former Democratic presidential candidate discovered details about his ancestor during the taping of the new season of the PBS series “Finding Your Roots,” The Algemeiner reported. Vermont College Fairs Sanders is set to host a series of college fairs in Vermont, for high school students and their parents to learn more about educational opportunities in Vermont and the resources available to help pay for them, WCAX-TV reported.  2020 Democrats Target Guns  Not long ago, Democratic presidential hopefuls shied away from talking about gun control — or at least made sure to pepper their rhetoric with nods to the Second Amendment. Sanders, who was hammered for sometimes voting with the gun lobby by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary, said Americans should do ""everything we can"" to stop gun violence, NBC News reported. Native Vermonter Killed in Vegas Sandy Casey, a native of nearby Dorset, Vermont, was among the dozens of people killed in Las Vegas. Sanders and Patrick Leahy both offered public condolences to Casey’s family.  Sanders tweeted: “Jane and I are deeply saddened to hear that Vermonter Sandy Casey was among the victims in Vegas. Our hearts are with her family & friends,” The Washington Post reported. Sanders: College for All “We live in a highly competitive, global economy, and if our economy is to be strong, we need the best-educated workforce in the world. The only way to achieve that goal is to make sure that every young person in this country can get the education that he or she desires, regardless of his or her family’s income, and without going into major debt,” Sanders wrote in an op-ed run in The Hofstra Chronicle.  Sanders, Larry David Discover They’re Related When Larry David debuted his Bernie Sanders impersonation on Saturday Night Live, the similarities were uncanny. When two appeared on the season 4 premiere of the PBS’ show Finding Your Roots they were given a shocking discovery: they were related, The Associated Press, Newsweek, TV Line, Vulture and Deadline Hollywood reported. Biden: No More Extreme Senators In the process of delivering the rather socialistic message that wealthy people didn’t need a tax break, Joe Biden, former Vice President managed to take a sideways jab at Bernie Sanders. “Doug understands about tax fairness,” Biden told the crowd. “Guys, the wealthy are as patriotic as the poor. I know Bernie doesn’t like me saying that, but they are,”Paste Magazine and The Hill reported.  Chomsky on Diagnosing the Trump Era “The most remarkable feature of the 2016 election was the Bernie Sanders campaign, which broke the pattern set by over a century of US political history. A substantial body of political science research convincingly establishes that elections are pretty much bought; campaign funding alone is a remarkably good predictor of electability, for Congress as well as for the presidency,” Noam Chomsky said in an interview with The Nation. GOP Strategist: This Is a New Gilded Age Republican strategist and lobbyist Bruce Mehlman sees “eerie” parallels between the Gilded Age and today. “On issues like race and on immigration, we're now finding the culture war is competing with a class war,” Mehlman said. “You used to hear it from the Pat Buchanans of the world and some of the Democrats like Bernie Sanders, but it's now becoming mainstream in, for sure, the Democratic Party and, increasingly, the Republican Party,” The Washington Post reported. Column: Congress’s War Powers Must Become Reality “Although a reactionary monarchy, Saudi Arabia has long enjoyed a special relationship with the United States… Now that impunity is starting to wear thin. In his foreign policy speech at Westminster College, … Sanders courageously called out our support for Saudi Arabia’s ‘destructive intervention in Yemen,’ arguing that ‘such policies dramatically undermine America’s ability to advance a human rights agenda across the world,” Katrina vanden Heuvel wrote for The Washington Post. Column: Get a New Base ”Traditional Republicans should consider reverse-engineering their party. Their beliefs … may find a following among suburbanites, college-educated voters, immigrants, nontraditional families... millennials, small-business people, workers in the New Economy and Democrats and independents resistant to that party’s tilt toward Sanders and Western European-style democratic socialism,” Jennifer Rubin wrote for The Washington Post. Column: Money from NRA “NRA spending reached $7.7 million for McCain and against his Senate electoral opponents by 2016, placing him second among all members of Congress, behind only Sanders, who despite his progressive credentials has been a consistent supporter of the gun manufacturing industry ($8.3 million),” Michael Hiltzik wrote for Los Angeles Times. Column: Quiet Battle Between Sanders and Harris “The Atlanta mayoral election is a microcosm of the war within the Democratic Party between progressives and the establishment. The opposing factions are likely to continue pushing against one another in local and congressional campaigns across the country leading up to an anticipated showdown in the 2020 Democratic primaries,” Michael Sainato wrote for Observer. Column: Obama Too Conservative? “As Democratic Party leaders continue to lurch toward Bernie Sanders’ brand of Marxism, they are clearly making Mr. Obama appear more moderate ...  But it is striking, given that Mr. Sanders won 22 states and nearly 1900 delegates in the 2016 Democratic primary campaign, that even among Democratic voters almost nobody will cop to being “far left” and just 16% call themselves ‘very liberal,’” James Freeman wrote for The Wall Street Journal. Column: Who Will Be the Bernie of Gun Control? “If Bernie Sanders won’t be the Bernie Sanders of gun control, who will? The person trying the hardest so far is potential presidential candidate Sen. Chris Murphy. Murphy, who was profoundly moved by Sandy Hook and has little to fear from pro-gun voters in deep-blue Connecticut, has been a vociferous critic of the NRA,” Bill Scher wrote for Politico. Column: Even Kennedy Used Tax Cuts “There is a pattern here, but the Bernie Sanders-Elizabeth Warren-Kamala Harris class warriors in Washington won’t acknowledge it because they are so ideologically committed to a zero-sum view of our economy that has some earners benefiting only at the expense of other earners. If only these progressives cared about wealth creation as much as they care about wealth redistribution,” Jason Riley wrote for The Wall Street Journal.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gop-budget-would-gut-medicare-medicaid-other-key-programs,"GOP Budget Would Gut Medicare, Medicaid, Other Key Programs",2017-10-04,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"GOP Budget Would Gut Medicare, Medicaid, Other Key Programs Wednesday, October 4, 2017 Senate Republicans recently released their budget for 2018. Following the lead of previous Republican budgets written by President Donald Trump – and by Paul Ryan and Tom Price before him – the Senate Republicans’ budget would make devastating cuts to programs working families rely on, while giving massive tax cuts to the wealthy, according to a new report by Senate Budget Committee staff. In total, the Republican budget would cut more than $5 trillion over the next decade from education, health care, affordable housing, child care, nutrition assistance, transportation and other programs that working people desperately need. The budget would make it harder for children to get a decent education, harder for families to get the health care they desperately need, harder for families to put food on the table, harder to protect our environment and harder for the elderly to live their retirement years in dignity. The Republican budget is a massive transfer of wealth from working families, the elderly, children, the sick and the poor to the top 1 percent. Not only would it cut Medicaid by $1 trillion, it would also cut Medicare by more than $470 billion in order to pay for hundreds of billions in tax breaks to the wealthiest people and most profitable corporations in America. Further, the Republican tax plan this budget calls for would increase the federal deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next decade, which will likely pave the way for savage cuts to Social Security. The top 1 percent would receive about 80 percent of the benefits of the Republican tax plan, while 30 percent of Americans making between $50,000 and $150,000 a year would see their taxes go up by an average of more than $1,000 a year at the end of the decade, according to the Tax Policy Center. The wealthiest 0.1 percent would receive an annual average tax cut of more than $1 million within 10 years under the Republican plan. Read the full report here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-joins-feinstein-blumenthal-to-introduce-bill-to-close-automatic-weapon-loophole,"Sanders Joins Feinstein, Blumenthal to Introduce Bill to Close Automatic Weapon Loophole",2017-10-04,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Joins Feinstein, Blumenthal to Introduce Bill to Close Automatic Weapon Loophole Wednesday, October 4, 2017 WASHINGTON, Oct. 4 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) joined Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) at a press conference Wednesday to introduce the Automatic Gun Fire Prevention Act, a bill to close a loophole that allows semi-automatic weapons to be easily modified to fire at the rate of automatic weapons, which have been illegal for more than 30 years.  “While it is too late for the victims in Las Vegas, and the victims in Newtown, and the victims in Charleston and the other terrible shootings that we have seen, it is not too late to prevent the next set of innocent Americans from becoming victims,” Sanders said. “Now is the time to save lives in this country. Now is the time to pass this legislation.” In addition to Sens. Feinstein, Sanders and Blumenthal, cosponsors include Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). Under the National Firearms Act, the sale, manufacture and transfer of automatic weapons are illegal. However, bump stocks, slide fire devices and other similar accessories are able to be attached to semi-automatic weapons, allowing them to reach fully-automatic rates of fire. Semi-automatic rifles typically have a rate of fire between 45 and 60 rounds per minute. A bump stock, or other similar device, increases the semi-automatic rifle's rate of fire between 400 and 800 rounds per minute.  This bill would ban the sale, transfer, importation, manufacture or possession of bump stocks, trigger cranks and similar accessories that accelerate a semi-automatic rifle’s rate of fire.  The bill also makes clear that its intent is to target only those accessories that increase a semi-automatic rifle’s rate of fire. Legitimate accessories used by hunters would be exempt. The bill also contains exceptions for lawful possession of these devices by law enforcement and the government.   To read Sanders' statement, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/100317,October 3,2017-10-03,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"October 3 Tuesday, October 3, 2017 Sanders Urges Action on Gun Control Sen. Bernie Sanders on Monday urged Congress to take action in the aftermath of the deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas. The Vermont senator in a statement said his thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims. Sanders also thanked the first responders, who he said ""did an outstanding job responding to this tragedy, saving many lives,” Burlington Free Press, VTDigger, The Hill, WCAX-TV, WPTZ-TV, VPR and Opposing Views reported. Vermonter Among Las Vegas Victims Vermont native Sandy Casey, a special education teacher, was among the victims in Sunday's mass shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas. Casey, 35, grew up in Dorset and lived in Redondo Beach, California. Sanders and Sen. Patrick Leahy expressed grief over Casey's death. ""Jane and I are deeply saddened to hear that Vermonter Sandy Casey was among the victims in Vegas,"" Sanders said. ""Our hearts are with her friends and family,” Burlington Free Press reported.  Trump’s Treatment of Puerto Rico Sanders said Sunday on CNN that: ""we have a right to be suspect"" that race is part of Trump's treatment of Puerto Rico. “given the president's history on race, given the fact that he, a few months ago, told us that there were good people on both sides when neo-Nazis were marching in Charlottesville, yes, I think we have a right to be suspect that he is treating the people of Puerto Rico in a different way than he has treated the people of Texas or Florida,” Sanders said, WPTZ and Real Clear Politics reported. Delegation Opposes GOP Tax Plan All three members of Vermont's Congressional delegation say they'll oppose President Trump's tax plan because it favors the richest Americans. The three members of the Vermont’s Congressional delegation, Leahy, Sanders and Rep. Peter Welch, all pointed to a study conducted by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center that shows that 80 percent of the benefits of the plan will go the wealthiest people in this country, VPR reported. Genealogy Uncover Sanders’ Family History  The prominent Harvard professor once again lures the famous and celebrated to PBS’ ”Finding Your Roots,” which shares their ancestry and family stories as uncovered by impressive research and science. Larry David, whom Gates said he’d “bugged” for three years to go under the “Roots” microscope, finally agreed and discovered that he’s related to Sanders, whom David memorably impersonated on “Saturday Night Live,” The Associated Press and The Salt Lake Tribune reported.  Vermont College Fairs Sanders is set to host a series of college fairs in Vermont, for high school students and their parents to learn more about educational opportunities in Vermont and the resources available to help pay for them, WCAX-TV reported. Column: What ‘Don’t Politicize Tragedy’ Means  “If the shooter belongs to the other side, then suddenly it is finally time to talk about the systemic issues that caused the shooting. It’s a ‘them’ problem. It’s an other-side problem. Suddenly it’s time to politicize. This summer, when the shooter who wounded a Republican congressman at a Virginia baseball practice turned out to be a … Sanders supporter, Donald Trump Jr. promptly retweeted a snide comment about ‘NY elites’ being to blame for the tragedy,” Monica Hesse wrote for The Washington Post.  Column: Medicare for All Is Cruel “Last week [Sanders] revealed his 96-page plan to walk away from the finally-acknowledged failures of ObamaCare and try yet another ill-considered plan to remake our health care system in the name of ‘compassion.’ Compassion is a wonderful thing, but what he calls ‘Medicare for all’ depends on repealing the laws of economics and denying everything we know about basic human nature,” Dr. Ramin Oskoui wrote for The Hill. Letter: Medicare for All Not So Great “People who want … Sanders' Medicare for all better think twice. I got my new book, ‘Medicare Advantage Plan for Seniors for 2018. I don't think they'd like Medicare. I will pay $32 a month more. My prescriptions for generic Tier 2 drugs cost $47, I have a co-pay of $150 per day for the first five days in the hospital, $150 for CT and MRI scans and also have co-pays for lab tests,” Erma Gohn wrote to The Morning Call.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/100217,October 2,2017-10-02,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"October 2 Monday, October 2, 2017 Sanders Slams Trump’s Puerto Rico Response Sen. Bernie Sanders condemned Donald Trump over his tweets criticising the mayor of hurricane-struck San Juan, saying: “It’s unspeakable. I don’t know what world Trump is living in.” He went on to say that the President had spent the weekend tweeting from his “fancy golf club,” while the mayor of San Juan was trying to secure food, water, fuel and electricity for her residents, CNN, MSNBC, The Hill, The Independent, The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, Chicago Tribune, Raw Story, Alternet, AOL,Independent Journal Review,  The Financial Times, The Washington Times, Newsweek, The Week, Slate, The Associated Press and Bloomberg reported.  Mulvaney/Sanders Clash on Trump Tax Plan White House budget director Mick Mulvaney dismissed critics of the Trump administration's proposed tax overhaul, saying a detailed analysis wouldn't be possible until the full plan is crafted. In response, Sanders said one analysis showed most of the benefits of the tax plan over time would go to the top 1 percent of earners, and blasted Trump for saying the plan would not benefit the wealthiest Americans, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Vox, Politico and Daily Mail reported. Republican Tax Proposal Sanders appeared on This Week to speak in opposition of the Republican tax plan. Sanders called it the “Robin Hood principle in reverse.” ""He's taking from working families and low-income people and giving to it the super-rich and creating a $1.5 trillion deficit, ABC reported. Watch here. Jane O’Meara Sanders: Bernie Would Have Won ""I have very little doubt he would have won, because American people wanted change, and they weren’t willing to vote for the status quo,"" Jane Sanders said in a new interview with The Irish Times. She expressed further disappointment in Hillary Clinton's post-election criticism of her husband, The Hill, Politico and Newsmaxreported. Sanders in Atlanta Sanders this past Saturday stumped for Vincent Fort, an Atlanta state senator who is modeling his mayoral bid after Sanders’ insurgent presidential campaign. Sanders claims that Fort is the only candidate poised to bring his populist insurgency to the heart of the South. AJC reported.  Menendez Trial Sanders on Sunday said his colleague, Sen. Bob Menendez, deserves ""due process"" when asked whether the New Jersey Democrat should resign if convicted of corruption charges. The New Jersey lawmaker is accused of helping acquire visas for friends in exchange for lavish gifts and campaign contributions in return, The Hill reported.  Column: The Democratic Party Needs Fresh Faces “The Democratic party appears to be stuck with familiar faces thanks to never building a Democratic bench and putting all their hopes into a 2016 basket that fell spectacularly apart.Since losing the primary last year, Sanders has never faded from the national spotlight,” Lucia Graves wrote for The Guardian.  Column: A GOP Health-care Escape Hatch “The promise to repeal and replace ObamaCare was a big one, made by President Trump and Republicans who ran for Congress. Failure to deliver on it is akin to an exercise in political self-immolation. The [new proposal from Sen. Alexander] would significantly undercut the case — made most prominently by Sanders (I-Vt.) that the only way to fix the system is to have government take it over,” Judd Gregg wrote for The Hill. Fact Check: World’s Six Wealthiest People During a speech on foreign policy ay Westminster College, Sanders highlighted global wealth inequality and claimed that the six wealthiest people in the world had as much as wealth as the bottom half. The Washington Post gave him “three pinocchios” for the statistic calling it “provocative” but “basically meaningless.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-las-vegas-shooting,Sanders Statement on Las Vegas Shooting,2017-10-02,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Las Vegas Shooting Monday, October 2, 2017 BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 2 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Monday in response to the deadly shooting in Las Vegas: ""My thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims and all those wounded in the horrific Las Vegas shooting. I also want to thank the first responders who did an outstanding job responding to this tragedy, saving many lives. ""Last night’s attack is the deadliest mass shooting in our country's modern history, and this year there have been more mass shootings than days in the year. In light of the terrible tragedy in Las Vegas and mass shootings across the country, it should be clear to all that we have got to do everything we can to stop guns from falling into the hands of people who should not have them. It is long past time for Congress to take action on gun safety to save innocent lives.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-statement-on-las-vegas-shooting,Sanders Statement on Las Vegas Shooting,2017-10-02,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Las Vegas Shooting Monday, October 2, 2017 BURLINGTON, Vt., Oct. 2 – U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement Monday in response to the deadly shooting in Las Vegas: ""My thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims and all those wounded in the horrific Las Vegas shooting. I also want to thank the first responders who did an outstanding job responding to this tragedy, saving many lives. ""Last night’s attack is the deadliest mass shooting in our country's modern history, and this year there have been more mass shootings than days in the year. In light of the terrible tragedy in Las Vegas and mass shootings across the country, it should be clear to all that we have got to do everything we can to stop guns from falling into the hands of people who should not have them. It is long past time for Congress to take action on gun safety to save innocent lives.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/100117,October 1,2017-10-01,2017,2017-10,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Oct 1 Sunday, October 1, 2017 Sanders Campaigns in Atlanta Sen. Bernie Sanders campaigned in Atlanta on behalf of mayoral candidate Vincent Fort yesterday. Fort is a longtime state senator who shares many of Sanders’ populist positions. Fort also endorsed Sanders’ 2016 presidential bid. Enthusiastic Sanders fans — making up a throng of more than 2,400 — crowded into the sanctuary of Saint Philip AME Church Saturday, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, The Associated Press, WXIA-TV, Politically Georgia, Fox 5 Atlanta, WGCL-TV, WXIA-TV reported. Reaction to Republican Budget Sanders, as ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued a statement stating that the Republican budget proposal “was written for the billionaire class, for Wall Street, for corporate CEOs and for the Koch brothers. It is the exact opposite of what America stands for and must be soundly defeated,” Vermont Biz reported.  Sunday Shows Sanders will appear Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” along with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Sen. Tim Scott, The Associated Press and Politico reported. Republican Takeover in New England Quietly, 4 out of 6 of New England’s “blue” states elected Republican governors this past cycle. Despite the popularity of Sanders in Vermont, Republican Phil Scott won the gubernatorial election by 9 points. It was not uncommon to see yard signs for both Scott and Sanders on the same yards, New York Post reported. Sanders Learns Ancestor Fought Nazis Sanders was visibly moved to learn that one of his ancestors died fighting Nazis during World War II in a yet-to-be-released episode of ""Finding Your Roots"" on PBS, The Hill, Haaretz reported. Democratic Socialists on the Rise Inspired by Sanders’ success at forcing leftwing ideas into the nomination battle, the nation’s largest socialist organization, the Democratic Socialists of America, has watched its dues-paying membership, which historically has hovered around 5,000, swell to 25,000, Politico reported Muslim-American Launches Congressional Run Nadeem Mazen, a two-term Cambridge, MA city councilor announced his congressional bid. Mazen said his campaign draws on themes raised by Sanders and Hillary Clinton, Reuters reported. Seth Moulton in Iowa The sophomore Congressman from Massachusetts found himself at Iowa’s annual steak fry this past weekend. It’s a unique institution in U.S. politics and sponsored by the Polk County Democrats that have been traditional first stops for future Democratic presidential candidates, including Sanders, The Boston Globe reported. Florida Candidates on Medicare-for-All This month Sanders introduced legislation that would make Medicare available to every American. But perhaps more noteworthy than the single payer proposal itself was the number of Democratic co-sponsors Sanders was able to attract to the bill. Tampa Bay Times asked each of the Democratic candidates for governor where they stand on the issue. Column: Medicare-for-All After Price Resignation “Federal subsidies must be increased and a public option should be introduced to compete with private insurers. The long-term goal, championed by Bernie Sanders, should be Medicare-for-all, universal healthcare, though we’re not there yet,” Ross Barkan wrote for The Guardian.  Column: DSCC Fundraises Off of Sanders Bill “On Thursday, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee sent a fundraising email from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., that promoted his single-payer legislation. This email gives Republicans ammunition to depict Democrats in states like West Virginia and Missouri as progressive radicals more in touch with coastal ideologues than their own working class constituents,” Emily Jashinsky wrote for the Washington Examiner. Column: Medicare-for-All is a Bad Idea “Medicare-for-All as conceived by Senator Sanders is a bad idea because of the inevitable rationing it will produce. In other well-known single-payer systems, this rationing takes several forms, including restrictions on the availability of treatments or, more commonly, rationing by waiting,” Chris Conover wrote for Forbes. Column: Socialized Medicare Won the Debate “Introduced after the Bernie Sanders Medicare for all bill made its debut with 16 co-sponsors in the Senate, the Graham-Cassidy bill looked all the worse by comparison. Both bills arrived at the end of a summer of activism, a summer that has treated us repeatedly to the sight of people in wheelchairs carted out of the Senate chanting,” Sarah Jaffe wrote for New Republic.  Column: Possible 2020 Candidates ”With Sanders’s approval rating at 75 percent, that makes him the most popular politician in America. He’s the standard-bearer for the populist left whose ‘Medicare for All’ bill, while still a liberal pipe dream, now seems as much of a litmus test for ambitious national Democrats as abortion rights. He will also be 79 years old on Election Day 2020,” Jazon Zengerle wrote for The New York Times.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/093017,September 30,2017-09-30,2017,2017-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"September 30 Saturday, September 30, 2017 Sanders Denounces Republican Budget Sen. Bernie Sanders  — the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee — criticized Republicans for releasing a plan that he said contradicted the president’s promises. “This budget is the Robin Hood principle in reverse,” Sanders said in a statement. “At a time of massive income and wealth inequality, the Republican budget takes from the middle class and those in need, and gives huge tax breaks to the wealthiest people in this country,” VOX reported. Sanders denounced the blueprint as “one of the most destructive budgets in modern American history,” The New York Times, WPTZ-TV, The Hill reported. Sanders Gets Emotional Talking About Jewish Relative While speaking on the PBS series, Finding Your Roots, Sanders showed his more vulnerable side as he talked about a relative who died defying the Nazis in World War II. In the clip, the Jewish senator is visibly moved as he discusses the relative with Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Newsweek,  Jewish News,Los Angeles Daily News reported. Sanders To Hold College Fairs Sanders is inviting Vermont high school students and their families to join him at two college fairs on Saturday, Oct. 7 at Lyndon State College(link is external) and Saturday, Oct. 14 at Castleton University(link is external). Vermont colleges, universities, and certificate and apprenticeship programs will be on hand to describe the excellent post-secondary educational opportunities that are available right here in our state, Vermont Biz, and Rutland Herald reported. Sanders in Atlanta Sanders will be in town Saturday for a major fundraiser on behalf of Vincent Fort, one of 13 candidates hoping to become the next mayor of Atlanta, 11-ALIVE-TV reported. Majority Of Dem Voters Support Single-Payer Asked in a new Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday whether they support a single-payer system, in which the federal government would expand Medicare to cover the medical expenses of every American citizen, nearly two in three Democratic voters (65%) said it was a ""good idea."" The left's fight to protect Obamacare, which united a Democratic Party still reeling over its failures in 2016, further elevated the single-payer debate. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and his allies have long portrayed it as a moral imperative, CNNreported.  Senate Dems Call Out FCC Chair A group of Senate Democrats called out Ajit Pai, the Republican chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, over his effort to deregulate the broadcast industry, accusing him of easing the path for a media takeover from the conservative Sinclair Broadcast Group. Twenty-three Democrats — as well as Independent Sanders — led by Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) wrote a letter to Pai urging him to hold off on any further changes to media ownership rules until the FCC conducts an analysis of the broadcast market, The Hill reported.  California is Sanders’ Battleground for Health Care The country and California must move toward guaranteed health care for all, regardless of what happens next week when Senate Republicans vote on their final bill of 2017 to dismantle Obamacare and Medicaid, both Sanders and California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom said in separate San Francisco rallies on Friday. “Every poll that I have seen indicates that more and more Americans support a Medicare-for-all single-payer program,” Sanders said to a rally organized by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United Organizing Committee during its annual convention, Salon reported. Teen Running For Governor in VT  Ethan Sonneborn is a 13-year-old political savant in the making—and a Democratic candidate for Vermont’s governor seat in 2018. Sonneborn almost perfectly channels the ideals and speaking manner of famed Vermonter Sanders, someone he admits is a role model, Newsweek reported. Four Reasons Dems Aren’t Facing Rebellions in Primaries In 2017, the far edge of Democratic Party politics is represented by  Sanders, who has no interest in helping primary challenges to incumbent Democrats. As he prepared his single-payer health-care bill, he told The Post that his signature legislation would not be “a litmus test” for Democrats — that he would not refuse to help colleagues who opposed it. Sanders, who has no plan to actually join the Democratic Party, is creating a wedge inside of it, on the theory that when the party next takes power, it will be confident to put down a marker on the left, The Washington Post reported. Iowa Dems Struggle For Power  In less than a decade, Iowa Democrats have withered, from in-charge to almost irrelevant. Animosity also lingers between some Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders backers, after their clash during the 2016 presidential caucus. It reflects unhealed wounds from 2008, when Obama upset Clinton in Iowa en route to the nomination, The Washington Postreported. DSCC Fundraises Off Single-Payer It just got a little harder for Democratic incumbents to distance themselves from efforts to implement a single-payer healthcare system. On Thursday, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee sent a fundraising email from Sanders, that promoted his single-payer legislation, Washington Examiner reported. Sunday Shows Sanders will appear on ABC’s ‘This Week’ on Sunday, The Associated Press reported.  Rock Star Calls For Universal Health Care Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler makes no secret of his political views. After winning the MVP prize in the 2016 NBA Celebrity All-Star game, he said, “the U.S. has a lot they can learn from Canada: health care, taking care of people,” only to be cut off mid-speech by TV anchor Sage Steele. “We’re talking about celebrity stuff, not politics,” she said. Butler was talking about politics in a different setting this week when he did an interview with Sanders’s media producer, Armand Aviram, Montreal Gazette reported. Larry David Returns Larry David says he forgot Paris — and the rest of Curb — while occupying himself in the intervening years by starring in the HBO movie Clear History (which he co-wrote) and Broadway’s Fish in the Dark (which he wrote), returning to stand-up, and turning in an amusing impression of Bernie Sanders on Saturday Night Live, Entertainment Weekly, Vulture, and NPR Column: SandersCare Thrives, TrumpCare Dies “After seven years of Republican promises to repeal and replace ObamaCare, the single-payer healthcare system proposed for decades by Sanders is gaining steam, while all GOP plans are buried in the graveyard of bad ideas,” Brent Budowsky wrote for The Hill.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/092917,September 29,2017-09-29,2017,2017-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"September 29 Friday, September 29, 2017 Sanders’ Relative Died Defying Nazis In the upcoming season premiere of the PBS series “Finding Your Roots,” Bernie Sanders does more than look at a printout of his family tree: He gets emotional when he discovers a relative died while standing up to the Nazis during World War II, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Forward reported.  Sanders Meets With Palestinian Activist Sanders met on Wednesday with Issa Amro, a leading Palestinian activist from the West Bank, who is facing trial in Israel and was also recently arrested by the Palestinian Authority for criticizing its leadership, Haaretzand Middle East Monitor reported. Sanders Opened Foreign Policy Debate Sanders speech indeed opened a new debate and offered the first steps towards a fundamentally different policy, but it also leaves many questions unanswered. It elevated some new challenges to Democratic Party thinking, though not always with policies to match, The Nation reported. Most Americans Desperate for Third Party More Americans than ever—61 percent—say the Democratic and Republican parties are inadequate and the U.S. should have a third major political party, a new poll from Gallup shows. It’s not shocking Sanders, an independent, is the most popular politician in the U.S. But Sanders has rejected calls to form a third party in recent months, saying his best avenue to have a real impact is via the current structure and the Democratic Party, Newsweek reported.   Julia Louis-Dreyfus Argues for Universal Health Care Actress and comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus made an unexpected entrance into America's health-care debate Thursday, announcing that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and urging her supporters to ""make universal health care a reality."" Democrats in the Senate are increasingly rallying behind universal health care. A third of the Senate Democratic caucus has signed onto a bill proposed by Sanders, that would institute a nationwide ""Medicare-for-all"" system, Sanders said this month, CNBC reported.  Berniecrats Have Obama Problem The ideological vanguard of the Sanders movement emerged from the 2016 election overflowing with dialectical certainty. Hillary Clinton’s narrow win in the primary was the last gasp of a dying neoliberal order, the overthrow of which is now preordained. This confidence comes through in a short column by Alex Pareene, which asserts that my brand of liberalism is irreversibly dying, New York Magazine reported. Sanders Traveling to Atlanta Sanders is headed to Atlanta this week to back former State Sen. Vincent Fort in the race to become the city’s next mayor, Atlanta Black Star reported. Bernie Backers Give Dems a 2018 Pass “There’s some reluctance to put a lot of time into [unseating Democrats], versus [building] a more progressive Congress overall,” said former Communications Workers of America union president Larry Cohen, a top Bernie Sanders advisor who now chairs the board of the Our Revolution political group that was spawned from the senator’s 2016 presidential campaign. “There’s going to be a lot more activity where it’s possible to change the makeup of the Congress,” Politico reported. CNN to Host Pelosi Town Hall CNN announced a second town hall event featuring House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). The event will provide a public forum for voters to question Pelosi. Previous 2017 CNN town halls have included Pelosi, Sanders, House Speaker Paul Ryan,, a Democratic leadership debate and a debate between Sanders and Sen. Ted Cruz, former Vice President Al Gore, and others, The Hill reported.  Clinton’s Interview with Joan Walsh Joan Walsh pressed Clinton on her book’s admission that she learned from Sanders’s primary challenge that Democrats had to offer “lofty goals that people can organize around and dream about [and] redouble our efforts to develop bold, creative ideas that offer broad based benefits for the whole country,” The Nation reported.   Californians Divided on Single-Payer Californians are divided on whether to substantially increase government involvement through a single-payer system, such as the ""Medicare for All"" proposal recently introduced by Sanders. A national single-payer insurance program such as ""Medicare for All"" gets support from 35% of Californians, according to the poll. Support is higher among Democrats — 44% — and independents — 34% — than among Republicans. Only 6% of Republicans back such a system, Los Angeles Timesreported. California Makes Trump Re-Election Difficult The state's Democratic-controlled legislature wrapped up its 2017 session this month by sending three bills to the desk of Gov. Jerry Brown (D) that could significantly influence Trump's reelection chances, how closely he guards his tax returns and his ability to deliver on one of his central campaign promises — to deport more immigrants who are in the country illegally. California has tried to move up its primary for two decades, but other states have just jumped ahead. In 2011, the state basically gave up and Brown signed a bill moving it back to June. But in 2016, the state's Democratic voters didn't even get a say in who won their party's nomination. Hillary Clinton found out she had clinched the nomination over Sanders hours before California voters were about to cast ballots, The Washington Post reported.  Column: GOP Has Lost Its Mind Distressed Republicans and ex-Republicans have three options — recruit new non-Trumpkins to the GOP (but which Americans would want to join?!) to out-vote Trump’s base; start a new center-right party (with an invitation out to moderate Democrats); or set up shop across the aisle as the new Blue Dog Democrats. Much depends on the direction the Democrats take (will it be the party of Sanders or the party of Truman/JFK/Bill Clinton — policy-wise, that is), The Washington Post reported. Column: American Democracy Descends Into Hysteria “During last year’s campaign, I described Bernie Sanders as the “high road” to fundamental change, while Donald Trump owned the “low road.” It may take several election cycles to determine which road the country embraces—if it doesn’t choose a path very different from either,” William Greider wrote for The Nation.  Column: Dems Can Get a Clue On Foreign Policy “There are signs that some in the party at least are beginning to get a clue. In a major speech at Westminster College, Bernie Sanders outlined a vision of foreign policy that would address the failures of recent history while providing a path for America to use its power honorably,” Ryan Cooper wrote for The Week.  Column: Medicare For All Is a Bad Idea “Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont, can't stop talking about Medicare For All which he says will finally solve all of America's health insurance problems. In fact, creating a national single-payer plan is a truly terrible idea that will likely bankrupt the country, drive down the rate of health-care innovation, AND not really improve health outcomes,” Nick Gillespie wrote for Reason.  Column: Sanders Takes Foreign Policy Seriously “Sanders stresses the virtues of multilateral action at the United Nations and people-to-people diplomacy. He makes it clear that a progressive foreign policy requires promoting progressive values at home as well as broad. When he says, “We must rethink the old Washington mind-set that judges ‘seriousness’ according to the willingness to use force,” I can imagine Sen. Rand Paul devotees nodding along in sympathy,” The Washington Post reported. Column: Sanders’ Medicare Bad Idea “Of course, precisely because of deadweight losses, it is lunacy for us to be bankrolling Medicare expenses for people such as Warren Buffett and his wife,” Chris Conover wrote for Fortune. Column: Morality Can Still Win “Jeremy Corbyn, Bernie Sanders and Podemos in Spain have shown that a bold and decent strategy can be a successful one. That truth should embolden the left,” Naomi Klein wrote for The Guardian.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-republican-budget-proposal,Sanders Statement on Republican Budget Proposal,2017-09-29,2017,2017-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Republican Budget Proposal Friday, September 29, 2017 WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement Friday in response to Senate Republicans' proposed fiscal 2018 budget resolution: ""After failing to throw 32 million Americans off health insurance, the Republicans are continuing their attack against the working families of our country with one of the most destructive budgets in modern American history. This budget is the Robin Hood principle in reverse. At a time of massive income and wealth inequality, the Republican budget takes from the middle class and those in need, and gives huge tax breaks to the wealthiest people in this country. While this budget would cut Medicare by at least $450 billion, it would give billionaires, including the Trump family, huge tax breaks. Further, it would increase the federal deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next decade. ""As the ranking member of the Budget Committee, I will do everything I can to oppose the absurd set of priorities in this budget. At a time when the middle class is shrinking and over 40 million Americans are living in poverty, we need a budget that reflects the needs of the working families of our country, not just the wealthy, the powerful and large campaign contributors. ""This Republican budget was written for the billionaire class, for Wall Street, for corporate CEOs and for the Koch brothers. It is the exact opposite of what America stands for and must be soundly defeated.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/sanders-statement-on-republican-budget-proposal,Sanders Statement on Republican Budget Proposal,2017-09-29,2017,2017-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Republican Budget Proposal Friday, September 29, 2017 WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement Friday in response to Senate Republicans' proposed fiscal 2018 budget resolution: ""After failing to throw 32 million Americans off health insurance, the Republicans are continuing their attack against the working families of our country with one of the most destructive budgets in modern American history. This budget is the Robin Hood principle in reverse. At a time of massive income and wealth inequality, the Republican budget takes from the middle class and those in need, and gives huge tax breaks to the wealthiest people in this country. While this budget would cut Medicare by at least $450 billion, it would give billionaires, including the Trump family, huge tax breaks. Further, it would increase the federal deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next decade. ""As the ranking member of the Budget Committee, I will do everything I can to oppose the absurd set of priorities in this budget. At a time when the middle class is shrinking and over 40 million Americans are living in poverty, we need a budget that reflects the needs of the working families of our country, not just the wealthy, the powerful and large campaign contributors. ""This Republican budget was written for the billionaire class, for Wall Street, for corporate CEOs and for the Koch brothers. It is the exact opposite of what America stands for and must be soundly defeated.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/bernies-podcast/bernie-bonus-arcade-fires-win-butler-on-health-care-092817,Bernie Bonus: Arcade Fire's Win Butler on Health Care,2017-09-28,2017,2017-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"On this episode of the Bernie Sanders Show, Team Sanders sits down with Arcade Fire lead singer Win Butler to discuss the American health care system and Canada's.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/must-read/september-19,September 19,2017-09-28,2017,2017-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"September 19 Thursday, September 28, 2017 Democrats Seek CBO Score on Graham-Cassidy Bill Democrats warned that the Graham-Cassidy health care bill would be very costly for some states and urged the Congressional Budget Office  to study more than the measure’s effect on the federal budget. “A comprehensive CBO analysis is essential before Republicans force a hasty, dangerous vote on what is an extreme and destructive repeal bill,” senior congressional Democrats Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Sanders and others, said in a statement, Reuters, Politico, CNBC and The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Medicare for All Sanders has launched a single payer healthcare bill to deliver health services to the entire country. Although it stands no chance of passing through Congress, whose two houses are controlled by Republicans, the idea of single payer healthcare has seized the middle ground of the Democratic party, to judge from the names co-sponsoring Sanders’ Medicare for All Act, The BMJ reported. Fighting Back on Republican Bill Liberal groups are planning to join Schumer for a rally outside the Capitol on Tuesday designed to refocus the party’s base on the possibility that repeal could become law after a week when activists had begun transitioning to promoting Sanders single-payer health care proposal, Politico reported. Sanders and Warren Test Democrats’ Left Turn Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren are often linked, spoken of in the same breath as if there is scarcely any difference between them. But as Warren and Sanders work to expand their constituencies ahead of possible runs in the Democratic presidential primary in 2020, the differences between them are becoming more marked. How their overlapping audiences sort themselves out could prove revealing about the party they seek to lead, The New York Times reported. Vincent Fort Sanders has endorsed Vincent Fort’s run for mayor of Atlanta. In an email sent to his campaign list, Sanders praised Fort as “unapologetically standing up for middle-class and working-class families, for blacks, whites, and Latinos, for women and the gay community.” In one sense, Sanders is returning a favor. Fort was the highest-ranking African-American lawmaker in the South who endorsed his run for president, The Intercept reported. Cuomo Voices Support for Single Payer In a radio endorsement of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo addressed several national issues, including voicing support for the idea of single-payer health care, an idea pushed by Sanders as “Medicare for all.” “I think that would be a good idea,” he said, The New York Times reported. Jeff Merkley’s Plans Sen. Jeff Merkley hopes to inherit Sanders’ progressive mantle in 2020. But for now, he’s spending his time plotting the resistance against the Trump presidency, Politico reported. Medicare for All Would Empower Executive Branch As Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, Warren and Sanders himself ponder their potential presidential campaigns — and as, hopefully, Democratic-aligned think tanks begin to engage with grassroots single-payer enthusiasm — it’s worth trying to think in at least a few broad strokes about how this discretion should be used. Or at least broadly speaking about what the goal should be, Vox reported. Sanders Supporters Committed to New Party Approximately 400 people showed up in Washington to attend the People's Convergence Conference from Sept. 8 to 10. The event included a town hall at American University where panelists discussed the future of the progressive movement. Specifically, whether or not Sanders supporters and other progressives should continue to try to change the Democratic Party from within or form a new party, IVN reported. Dems Concerned about Clinton-Sanders Fights Democrats are worried that the fight between former presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and Sanders is doing lasting damage to their party. As the bickering between the former rivals grows more intense, Democrats say it needs to end, The Hill reported. Editorial: Sanders’ Bill Comes Up Short “Sanders talks big, but the record shows that in his 25 years in Congress he has failed to deliver on any of his ideological proposals. Expect the same from the independent Massachusetts senator’s ambitious Medicare for all plan. It’s impossible to take his single-payer plan seriously because it fails to address the single biggest issue: how to pay for it,” wrote the Mercury News Editorial Board. Column: Medicare-for-All Should Leave Canadians Drooling “Even if the political zeitgeist is changing in the U.S., it is unlikely that Americans would embrace fairer taxes and more government control of health care, despite the obvious benefits. Still, Medicare-for-all should leave us drooling with envy – because the proposals for reform are long overdue in Canada. Sanders' home is only 80 kilometres from the Canadian border. And Prime Minister Bernie has kind of a nice ring to it,” André Picard wrote for The Globe and Mail. Column: How to Pay for Medicare for All “It would still be prudent for Sanders to match some of the new spending with new taxes because as the economy improves, there will be less wiggle room to spend. But he hardly needs to match all of it,” Jeff Spross wrote for The Week. Column: Does Sanders’ Bill Have a Shot? “Sanders' ‘Medicare for All’ plan unveiled last week is an ambitious and (to many) enticing idea: a single, government-run health plan with generous benefits for everyone — just like most industrialized countries have enjoyed for decades. If only it were feasible in today's United States,” Doyle McManus wrote for the Dallas Morning News. Column: Sanders Single-Payer Plan Is No Miracle Cure “Just as trade-offs must be made to improve health care, so are other countries struggling with balancing the cost and quality of care and universal access. All Americans should bear one important precept in mind: If the Sanders plan sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” Drs. Lanhee J. Chen and Micah Weinberg wrote for The New York Times.  Column: What Sanders Didn’t Say “What Sanders did not say was that to truly achieve a vision of single payer coverage, we have to talk about the cost of health care. In fact, the little detail many advocates conveniently ignore within the single payer mantra is that the countries who provide single payer insurance have a budget and spending controls similar to the caps Republicans have been discussing,” David Rubin wrote for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Column: A Growing Movement for Single-Payer ”Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Senate Bill 1804, co-sponsored by a third of Senate Democrats, and Rep. John Conyers’ House Resolution 676 by half of House Democrats. What happened? A huge shift toward participatory democracy, with millions of people participating in rewriting what is possible and necessary for their lives,” RoseAnn DeMoro wrote for The San Francisco Chronicle.  Column: Single Payer Risks Jobs “The problem is that a good portion of what many of these workers do is handle relationships and billing, and keep track of payments from insurance companies—the middle men Bernie Sanders wants to be rid of,” Monica Potts wrote for VICE News. Column: Are Health Care Proposals Equally Extreme? “The choice for Republicans isn’t between this and a better reform. It’s between this or letting Obamacare continue intact, violating all of those repeal-and-replace promises entirely. That’s what’s so silly about the claim that Graham-Cassidy is as ‘extreme’ as Sanders’ radical and shoddily written proposal (the bill is totally silent on how to pay for any of it),” Jonah Goldberg wrote for Los Angeles Times. Column: 2016 Was Not a Fluke “In retrospect, the alarming possibility of an election-night surprise should have been apparent. Trump never should have won the Republican nomination over a field that included so many talented politicians. And Clinton never should have had to work so hard to win the Democratic nomination over Bernie Sanders, an aging socialist from Vermont who wasn’t even a Democrat until he entered the race,” Eugene Robinson wrote for The Washington Post. Column: Treat Voters Like Adults “Harvard University-educated Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) spouts nonsense suggesting that we should cut legal immigration in half, an idea no respectable economist would say is anything but self-destructive. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) sounds like President Trump when it comes to trade protectionism, which would impose trade restrictions that are ultimately paid by consumers, in effect a highly regressive tax. Other Democrats who surely know better echo Sanders,” Jennifer Rubin wrote for The Washington Post. Column: Understanding Good Economic News “Operationally, the populism is a demand for policies directly targeting those hurt by these long-term trends, in contrast to indirect, often-failed solutions that moderate, establishment politicians sold to working-class families, like trade deals, balanced budgets and financial deregulation. Better than anyone, except maybe Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Trump sniffed this out and effectively exploited it during his campaign,” Jared Bernstein wrote for The Washington Post. Column: Does Free Community College Work? “During the 2016 election campaign, both Sanders and Hillary Clinton proposed plans that would free Americans from the enormous cost of college, which have put so many students into debt — and kept upward mobility out of reach. But no legislation has passed on the national stage, and none is expected. In the laboratories of the cities and the states, though, local governments have created or are considering plans to cover tuition or greatly reduce the cost,” Juan Sagaldo wrote for The New York Times. Fact Check: Medical Overhead Costs Experts, particularly on the right, say Sanders’ and Sen. Jeff Merkley’s estimates of Medicare overhead are measuring the wrong thing. Medicare patients are elderly and thus have high costs relative to administrative expenses, especially compared to the under-65 patients in private plans. So just looking at percentage of each dollar spent skews the result. There are serious issues with this talking point, even at Sanders’s more responsible-sounding range of 12 to 18 percent, The Washington Post reported. Letters: Should the U.S. Go for Single Payer? “Eugene Robinson was correct that Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) proposal for a “Medicare for All” health insurance system is the “right thing to do.” It would cover everyone with first-dollar coverage for all medically necessary care. But “Medicare for All” is not socialized medicine, in which the government would own medical facilities and health-care providers would be government employees,” Jay Brockwrote to The Washington Post.  Letter: Sanders Ran on His Beliefs “In Hillary Clinton’s new book, she attempts to disparage Bernie Sanders by stating that he ‘didn’t get into the race to make sure a Democrat won the White House.” She’s correct. Nor, however, did Bernie run ‘to disrupt the Democratic Party,’ as Hillary accuses him of doing. He ran for what he believes would help the American people. Period,” Nancy Bennett O’Hagan wrote to the Press Herald.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/092817,September 28,2017-09-28,2017,2017-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"September 28 Thursday, September 28, 2017 Sanders: Trump Tax Plan ‘Morally Repugnant’ Promising big tax cuts and a booming economy, President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans unveiled the their plan to revamp the tax code Wednesday. Sen. Bernie Sanders argued that the plan would exacerbate income inequality, singling out its proposal to repeal the estate tax, noting that the top 10 percent of earners pay 90 percent of estate taxes. ""At a time of massive wealth and income inequality, Trump's tax plan is morally repugnant and bad economic policy,"" Sanders said in a statement, The Associated Press, The Hill, WCAX-TV and Business Insider reported. Ellison Defends Sanders  Rep. Keith Ellison extolled Sanders as an “awesome” health care advocate in an interview on Wednesday, dismissing those who questioned the timing of Sanders’ rollout of single-payer legislation. “We create the time, by pushing the issue. The issue becomes ripe because we push it,” Ellison said, The Huffington Post reported. Republicans Concede Defeat on Health Care Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the partisan debate over the country’s health care system will “certainly continue.” McConnell called that proposal a “stark contrast” to a plan by Sanders. McConnell says Sanders’ plan would “rip” health insurance from people. He called the issue an important debate and said, “It’s one that we’ll certainly continue.” The Associated Press reported. What’s Next for Single Payer While Democrats are celebrating the defeat of the GOP legislation, they have also provided Republicans fodder for a new line of attack. A bill that Sanders introduced this month would create a single-payer health system and was hailed by some Democrats. Republicans say they expect to use it to divert attention from their own legislative struggles, The Wall Street Journal and Politico reported. Foreign Policy Speech Sanders’s recent foreign policy speech, notably in its strong defense of the Iran nuclear deal, was a careful attempt to claim Obama’s legacy by arguing for a liberal internationalist approach of alliance-building to solving the world’s problems. The central theme of the speech was the need to re-conceptualize foreign policy not just as a matter of military policy, New Republic and Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported Alabama Senate Election The progressive energy around Doug Jones, Democratic nominee for Senate in Alabama, is left over from the spring, when activists attacked Democratic campaign groups for helping special election candidates in Kansas and Montana only after Republican PACs had poured in money to attack them. “I believe the Democrats should compete in every state in this country,” said Sanders, the only national figure who’d stumped for the party’s nominee in those states, The Washington Post reported. Arcade Fire Singer Supports Universal Health Care In light of Sanders’ recently introduced “Medicare for All” bill, Arcade Fire’s Win Butler sat down with Sen. Sanders’ Media Producer Armand Aviram to discuss the differences between the Canadian and American health care system. As an American citizen who relocated to Montréal about 15 years ago, Butler discussed his own personal medical experiences with both systems, Pitchfork and SPIN reported. Spider Named for Sanders  Scientists bestowed an honor to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, former first lady Michelle Obama and former President Barack Obama. Researchers and students at the University of Vermont named 15 new species of smiley-faced spiders and drew inspiration from the Obamas, Sanders, actor Leonardo DiCaprio, British naturalist David Attenborough and late singer David Bowie, Fox News, International Business Times, WCAX-TV and CNET reported. UK Labour Party Conference Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, told supporters on Wednesday that their brand of left-wing politics had brought them to “the threshold of power.” In some respects a British version of Sanders, Corbyn has championed an agenda that includes nationalizing utilities, abolishing university tuition fees and increasing taxes for the wealthy and for corporations, The New York Times reported. Russian Facebook Ads  At least one of the Facebook ads that were purchased by a Kremlin-linked troll factory during the 2016 campaign promoted the Green Party candidate Jill Stein, Politico reported Tuesday, while others boosted Sanders’ campaign even after he dropped out of the race, Talking Points Memo, MSNBC, Politico and The Washington Post reported. Column: Medicare for All Could Spur Change in Canada “Sanders made a splash last week when he introduced the Medicare for All bill in the United States Senate, flanked by 16 other Democratic senators who all pledged their support for the implementation of single-payer healthcare in the United States…. Despite Sanders’s financing proposals, without those details, they say, Medicare for All remains a pipe dream. But the proposal itself would deliver a national health insurance program for the 21st century,” Danielle Martin and Andrew Boozary wrote for Maclean’s. Column: Our Families Deserve Medicare for All “Fortunately, there is light emerging from darkness…. Sanders has introduced legislation that would enact a Medicare For All or ‘single payer’ system in the U.S. All current health care financing -- taxes, premiums, copayments and deductibles -- would be placed into a single fund and pay for all medically necessary services. The vast majority of Americans would receive comprehensive medical coverage and pay less than they currently do,” Peter Mahr wrote for OregonLive. Column: Democrats Need Plan for Trump ”For Democrats in particular, it’s critical that they set forth mainstream policies that do not leave them open to the counterattack that they are still tax and spend liberals, proponents of “open borders” or advocates of socialized medicine…  Sanders might be pushing single-payer health care but that’s not a position the majority of Democrats will embrace in 2018),” Jennifer Rubin wrote for The Washington Post. Column: Sanders Thinks War is Overrated ”Though not, alas, a pacifist, Sanders has at last revealed himself to be an American leader articulating a new and largely peaceable foreign policy. And, given our current president’s bombastic bellicosity, Sanders’ speaking his peace comes not a moment too soon,” John Kaufman wrote for Common Dreams. Column: Sanders’ Foreign Policy Isn’t Enough “Sanders, however, outlined a foreign policy lacking any mention of the resurgent geopolitical rivalries set to define the coming decades, raising serious questions as to whether his foreign policy vision can sustain the rules-based international order that the United States has built and defended, and which Sanders himself praises,” Will Moreland wrote for Brookings. Column: Sanders Not A Democrat ”Supporters of Sanders have a decision to make. Do they want four more years of Republican majorities, or do they want to be part of implementing policies aimed at helping the poor and working poor? In this political climate, it’s a binary choice. Either supporters of Sanders help to elect Democrats who can beat Donald Trump or they contribute to his re-election,” Michael Hopkins wrote for The Hill.  Column: The Trouble with Bernie “While he may have some good ideas, he hasn’t a clue on how to go about making them reality — either politically or economically. At what point will the media start looking at Bernie Sanders with a critical (and by that I mean analytical) eye?” Jennifer Rand wrote for The Huffington Post. Letter: Bernie’s Socialism? Expand Medicare Instead ”Bernie’s ‘socialism’ is nothing new nor original. Why not just build off current Medicare? Modify it so that what are now copayments and costs to third parties, etc., become legs of a new Medicare, with all payments to the government with a multiyear phase-in as proposed,” Jerry Nachison wrote to the The Wall Street Journal.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-trump-tax-plan-september-27,Sanders Statement on Trump Tax Plan,2017-09-27,2017,2017-09,Independent,House,VT,Bernard Sanders,S000033,www.sanders.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Sanders Statement on Trump Tax Plan Wednesday, September 27, 2017 WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement after President Donald Trump and Republican congressional leaders released their plan for tax reform Wednesday morning: ""At a time of massive wealth and income inequality, President Trump's tax plan is morally repugnant and bad economic policy. The last thing we should be doing right now is providing hundreds of billions in tax breaks to the wealthiest people and most profitable corporations in this country. It is particularly obscene to repeal the estate tax that would provide a $269 billion tax break to the top 0.2 percent. Instead of giving more tax breaks to billionaires who don't need it, we should be doing everything we can to rebuild the disappearing middle class.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z